MixedThe Michigan DailyThe premise of the novel seems enthralling...But past the storyline, The Plot falls short of achieving a similar enchantment ... Like You Should Have Known, Korelitz’s The Plot is a thriller. However, unlike her previous work, The Plot is not as engaging of a read. Jake, increasingly glum about his literary failures, is a rather insufferable character ... Though it’s obvious Evan is an integral character, he is practically forgotten in part two. Instead, Korelitz attempts to deliver suspense through ending chapters with cliché remarks about how Jake’s life is about to change dramatically ... Who would have guessed that a failing author would steal the work of a character conveniently introduced and killed off several chapters later? The Plot wastes countless chapters complicating and dragging out a simple premise: Man steals dead student’s work. The entire first half of the novel could have easily been condensed into a single paragraph ... Korelitz’s pacing leaves much to be desired. It’s not until the middle of the novel that the real conflict is introduced ... The inclusion of the story within the story was the best choice Korelitz could’ve made. Crib honors the suspenseful aspects of the thriller that The Plot is unable to achieve on its own. I was more excited to read the excerpts from Crib than I was to accompany Jake on his journey to uncover the truth, which was frustratingly foreseeable and almost too easy. I knew how the novel would end four chapters prior to what should have been the final emotional punch. Korelitz spelled too much out for us and consequently took the thrill out of the thriller ... Though I was intrigued by the premise and remained interested throughout the novel’s progression, I was disappointed by her techniques and the predictability of it all. I was eager to be shocked, startled and scared like Korelitz’s past thrillers have left me, but The Plot is a slow burn. Instead of striking the reader with unexpected twists and turns, Korelitz’s momentum is steady and unsurprising ... Perhaps it was my own expectations that caused the downfall of the novel, given my initial enthusiasm that Korelitz’s past work had provoked. It’s worth the read if you are interested, but it guarantees more disappointment than excitement or exhilaration.
