Book Review – The Plot!

Introduction

I recently read a remarkable book called 'The Plot', written by Jean Hanff Korelitz and published in 2021. She has written seven other books, and one 'You should have Known' inspired the mini-series 'The Undoing' on HBO/ MAX (streaming platform). She is originally from New York, but has lived in other places, including Princeton New Jersey and the United Kingdom. She met Paul Muldoon for the first time in London. She met him again the following year in Yorkshire, when he attended a poetry course taught by Muldoon. Muldoon is a famous poet, originally from Co. Armagh. Muldoon is often compared to Séamus Heaney, a fellow poet from Northern Ireland, and Muldoon's friend and mentor.

The Plot

Jake was a writer whose first book was just a flash in the pan. He tried time after time to write another book that would be as successful as his first book, but he failed. Then he did the next thing he could think of – he taught a writing class.

One student in his class claimed that he had the best plot ever and that anyone could write a great book based on that plot. Once, that man – named Evan Parker – shared what he had in mind as a plot. Unfortunately, Evan didn't write that book. When Jake later researched Evan, he found out that he was dead.

So, Jake decided to write the book and he did. An incredible thing happened then – the book he wrote called 'The Crib' was in great demand. Steven Spielberg would be the director of the film based on the book. Then, Jake met a woman named Anna, they fell in love and after a while they got married. Undoubtedly, Jake was now on the pig's back with life giong his way. But the house of cards began to shake when Jake received an unknown e-mail saying: you are a thief! The e-mail worried Jake, and he feared that he would be branded a fraud who had stolen the plot of the book - one of the worst crimes an author could commit. What should Jake do? At first, he hoped he wouldn't get any more messages – but he was dreaming. The messages never stopped, and after a while things got worse and eventually Jake needed to get his publisher's lawyers involved.

There is another thread in this story in the form of chapters from the imaginary book written by Jake ('The Crib'), interwoven with chapters of 'The Plot'. There are two parallel realities moving forward together, with you getting more information from both all the time. That's a very effective literary device, which adds to the tension and the plot a lot. Anyway, Jake realized he had no other choice but to find out who sent him the messages, and why. It didn't take much time for Jake, working as a detective and going from place to place, to discover strange things. The strangest thing he discovered was that Evan had not imagined the plot at all. I won't reveal anything else for fear of spoiling the story, but I can say that there are still a few more twists and turns left for you in the story.

Recommendations

'The Plot' is not like a James Patterson or Lee Child book. The story moves more slowly and the chapters are longer. But there is more than a thriller involved here too. The author discusses themes that are important today. For example, is it possible to steal a plot at all – what are the rules for that? It is not easy to answer that question in the age of the internet and social media, let alone Artificial Intelligence.

It was very interesting how the author weaved passages from the imaginary book 'The Crib' through this book as well, sharing the plot that Evan had in the beginning.

I would recommend you read 'The Plot', not only as a thriller, although it is a good thriller, but also as a piece of literature, which goes deeper than a detective novel in terms of character development and deals with important themes of this time.

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