Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - so very behind!'s Reviews > The Plot

**Many thanks to @CeladonBooks and Jean Hanff Korelitz for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.11.21 and now available in paperback!**

ANYONE can be a writer.

At least, that's what the students at Jacob Finch Bonner's seminar believe. Although Jacob has been slogging along since the publication of his first book, desperately searching for the next great idea and for purpose in his life, teaching this band of misfits wasn't exactly what he had in mind. One aspiring writer in particular, Evan Parker, has too much 'tude and not enough talent...at least, at first glance. Once he reveals the plot of his novel-to-be, Jacob is stunned, baffled, and knows a winner when he hears one. This plot has NEVER been executed before, and for a literary aficionado like Jacob, the very essence of this story crawls under his skin and never fully goes away. Years later, stuck in another hardly-literary-but-it-pays-the-bills job at a hotel, Jacob discovers that Evan Parker has tragically passed away.

But that story. That one-in-a-million PLOT. Does IT really need to meet a similar fate?

Jacob decides the world needs to hear it, and quickly crafts a best-seller called Crib. As his popularity explodes, he finds himself name dropping celebrities, a member of Oprah's exclusive pantheon of authors, and with a Spielberg development deal. All of this newfound glory, however, comes screeching to a halt, however, when Jacob receives an anonymous message from online from "TalentedTom" (a nod to Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley) saying he knows Jacob has stolen the plot and that this wasn't his story to tell. Jacob is desperate to keep his secret safe, and enlists the help of his publisher and relies on his own detective work to draw him closer to the informer so he can prevent his own ruin. But has Jacob become so caught up in trying to furiously tie up his own loose ends that he has bypassed the glaring truth entirely?

Korelitz is a Literary writer (with a capital L!) and this was evident from the very first page of this fantastic book. This book is rife with commentary on the literary world, what it means to be a writer, what it means to be a TRUE original, and literary references GALORE (including one very overt Charles Dickens reference that made me smile!) I always love a book that can serve several functions, and this one absolutely fits the bill. Aside from all of this book talk, Korelitz also manages to weave an incredibly compelling and suspenseful narrative that starts slow, but by about 50% is going full-throttle. I had such a hard time putting this book down, even for a minute! I have to be honest and say that I did figure out the ending partway through, but surprisingly, this almost made me want to finish the book even faster because I just wanted to see everything play out---and WOW, did it ever! The hidden double meaning of the title is just the icing on the cake for this one and proof positive that Korelitz really DID think of everything! (If only all of her characters were so astute!) 😉

I had such a great time reading The Plot and the juxtaposition between commentary on the ups and downs and ins of outs of the book world and the slow-building tension of an intriguing and thrilling mystery was just the rejuvenating breath of fresh air I needed for Spring 2021!

4.5 couldn't-put-it-down ⭐!

#theplotbook #CeladonReads #partner