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The Plot
August 2021: Other Books
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The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz - 3 stars
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I liked the academic satire part of this book. I agree that it would have been more interesting if the secret of the plot was never revealed.The really weird thing is that just around the time I was reading this book, I read an article by a woman who had this happen to her. A few years ago a story called "Cat Person" or "Cat People" went viral on line. It was about a hookup/date that didn't go well. There was a lot of discussion about whether it was just a normal bad date or whether the woman was actually a victim of harassment/violence. Now a woman has written that this story described a specific event in her life, and certain details of the story could not have been known by anyone who wasn't there. Apparently, the man in the incident told the story (from his point of view ) to a friend who is a writer. She kept in lots of details like where the woman was from, where she studied, etc., too much to be coincidence. I think that now the author has apologized, but anyway it was very odd to read that around the time as this novel.
Robin P wrote: "I liked the academic satire part of this book. I agree that it would have been more interesting if the secret of the plot was never revealed.The really weird thing is that just around the time I ..."
Wow, that's an interesting parallel.
Jacob Finch Bonner, author of a novel that achieved success many years ago, is teaching at an MFA program. One of his students, Evan Parker, discloses a sure-fire plot behind an as-yet-unpublished book. Jacob later finds out Evan has died. He usurps the idea and turns it into a blockbuster. When Jacob starts receiving anonymous threats, accusing him of theft, he begins an investigation to see if he can figure out the person’s identity.
This book starts out as a mystery and turns into a thriller. Excerpts from Jacob’s book are included, so the reader will need to keep track of several layers of characters. I particularly enjoyed the parts about literature and the writing process. It is perhaps no surprise in a book entitled The Plot that the characters are thinly drawn. It might have been better to keep this “perfect plot” a secret since it does not seem all that extraordinary once it is revealed.
This book explores the ethics of appropriating an idea for a story. I am not sure I buy into the idea of a “sure thing” in terms of an idea for a book, since so much depends on execution, but it was certainly entertaining. I listened to the audio book, competently read by Kirby Heybourne.