The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz ------------------------ 4.5 Stars

The Plot has been a pretty hot book since it's release in May of this year. I heard good things about it and was happy that I was able to borrow a copy (after a few weeks on the waiting list) from the local library. It did not disappoint!

Synopsis - a struggling writer "borrows" a fantastic plot from another author and quickly rises to fame but someone who knows more about the origin of the story starts bothering him. Mystery begins as the reader is slowly feed clues about what really happened in the plot of the fictional book and also "The Plot."

So, as you can see by the rating, I REALLY enjoyed this book. While not a great piece of literature by any means, based on my ranking, which is purely on entertainment value, I struggled to put this book down. While slow in some parts at the start when developing the story, I truly had to slow myself down to savour the last quarter. In fact, the final 50 pages were almost impossible to put down - the telltale signs of an entertaining book.

Not surprisingly, this book talks often about how incredible the plot is of this novel being written in the book, and while that plot really isn't that incredible, the way the author weaves it into the story of this book was enjoyable. I struggled to guess where the book was heading and was flabbergasted on more than one occasion as I continued moving through the final chapters.

Interestingly, I figured the internet would have loved the book as much as I did. I thought wrong. While it's still hailed as a strong book, I was surprised by how many people figured out the mystery early on and struggled to enjoy the final parts of the book. Many, including my wife, realized what was going on with a number of chapters left, which took away from the strength of the novel. I, on the other hand am no detective, and I was kept guessing into the final pages. I could imagine not enjoying this book nearly as much as if I different experience. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It's got a great plot (no pun intended), an interesting set of characters, and is a page turner! While some readers seemed to not enjoy, I thought it was one of my favorite books that I can recall. Enjoy!