The Plot

A Novel

By: Jean Hanff Korelitz

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

"I think Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is one of the best novels I’ve ever read about writers and writing. It’s also insanely readable and terrifying. The suspense quotient is through the roof...It’s remarkable." (Stephen King)

Hailed as "breathtakingly suspenseful", Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a propulsive audiobook about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.

Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then...he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: But it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised, and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an email arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books

"Narrator Kirby Heyborne maintains the brisk pace and firm tension of what promises to be one of the summer's most talked about suspense novels." (AudioFile Magazine)

©2021 Jean Hanff Korelitz (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year, 2021: Long-listed

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2021: Long-listed

Washington Post Best Books of the Year, 2021: Long-listed

I liked this

I have seen quite many negative reviews, but this is not a bad story. Maybe it is due to myself being a writer and translator? Figuring out the end was not too difficult but how we would end up there was an interesting journey.

Push past the slow start for a deeply engaging story

Unexpected twists, but especially enjoyed the questions the story raises about plot ownership and is there a responsibility to tell a story if it comes to you?

Predictable

This is a decent, well told story. However, the plot is predictable, the characters unlikeable, and the unfolding of the supposedly perfect plot tedious. Not bad, but I can’t understand the acclaim.

Good but not Great.

Very slow to begin and didn't care for the narration. the tone was very monotonous. Story eventually got better but it was predictable.

Entertaining but predictable

Great story, but the ending was pretty obvious about halfway through the book. Worth a listen.

Slow start, but worth the read!

I struggled to remain interested in the first third of the book, but was pleased that I continued! This is a great story!

too predictable

The narration was fine. The book was sparse with its scene setting and characterization, so the story bears most of the weight. But, without spoiling it, the number and arrangement of characters was such that the central mystery was far too obvious, far too early, and knowing something the protagonist didn't know wasn't all that satisfying--I would rather have had him find out sooner and have more of the plot unfold under that circumstance.

The Plot has a plot worth reading

Chose this book based on Jimmy Fallon’s recommendation. Slow beginning but very interesting concept. Can’t say my ch more without giving plot away. The performer did a good job distinguishing the different characters through his various voices. I would recommend this book to others.

Good?

Interesting story. Some parts were predictable? But overall good and entertaining from the beginning to end.

Slow start, ends strong

Narration is lacking but the end was worth the patience, maybe skip the first hundred pages or so