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The Plot

By: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
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Publisher's summary

"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

What listeners say about The Plot

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Twists and turns

If you want an engaging story that takes you on a twisting journey; this book is for you. You get to know the characters…or so you think. Stay with it. It can seem like you get the point, but hang in there, because you don’t.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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predictable

only finished it because I wanted to make sure I was right. narrator was ok.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fun Whodunit, Great for Vacation Listening

A failing novelist finds inspiration that pulls him into a tangle of intrigue.

Just long enough, just twisty enough, pick-up-and-put-downable. Good for a summer read. Not hard to figure out, but the author keeps the journey interesting. The narration isn't great, but Heyborn does a very good job with accents and characterizations.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Ahhhhhhhhh!

Absolutely loved every minute. What a plot! Thank you Jean & Kirby- lots to talk about at book club.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Slow starting but the plot kept me interested

This book is a good summer read, and would make a good movie. interesting to learn about the world of fiction writers and how they think.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Twist wasn’t very twisty

I identified the twist early on but thought I must be wrong since even Stephen King said it was well crafted. I think, though, that it was still well told and the characters were well developed, especially Jake. Sort of like “The Undoing” I spent a lot of time hoping it wasn’t what I thought..

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

The book was interesting, but I had the main points figured out fairly quickly. However, the details kept me reading. It seems made for a movie (and sequel).

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love bad person winning

did not care for the narrator that much but the story was very good. will read more by this author

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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An enjoyable listen. No regrets on this purchase.

It was good. I enjoyed it. I think it was worth the credit I spent on it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Devastating and satisfying

Devastating ... in a good way...reader-wise. The end is seen coming, but the impact is still profound.

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