an undecided book

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: Owen is stuck between his humble beginnings, as he sees them, in rural Kentucky, his string of menial jobs, and his sense of himself as a writer living a cerebral life.  He's convinced that his girlfriend looks down on him for coming from a blue-collar background, and he can't blame her, as he himself continuously sneers at his parents for their unenlightened political viewpoints and small-town perspectives.

I'm not sure what book Lee Cole thought he was writing here.  Possibly a book about a struggling writer.  Possibly a book of class differences in romantic relationships.  Possibly a book about someone who rejects his conservative upbringing in favor of his current liberal outlook.  Unfortunatley, the book ultimately doesn't succeed in being any of those.  Instead, it's a mash of unrealized characters who spend a lot of time in unfulfilling conflict with themselves and each other, and it all just seemed pointless and pretentious.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

like a snake eating its tail

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: Jake Bonner wrote a really good, very popular book.  But he was in danger of remaining a one-hit wonder when chance threw an opportunity in his way.  Many years ago, when Jake was a teaching at a low-rent writer's workshop, a student told him about the plot of the book he was writing.  Recognizing that the idea was sure to become a bestseller, Jake couldn't help but be jealous.  Several years later, he comes to learn that the student has died, his book never written.  So Jake takes the idea and runs with it.

Sure enough, the book is a hit, jumping onto the bestseller list, becoming an Oprah pick, everything Jake always thought he wanted.  But he can't enjoy his fame and fortune, because he's just waiting for someone to expose him.  And then one day, he gets a note: "You are a thief."  Someone knows his secret, but who?  And what do they want?  As the threats of exposure intensify, Jake falls down the rabbit hall of his former student's life, where he unearths more secrets than might be quite healthy for him.

Like other reviewers, I too found the plot twist to be kind of predictable, but there was still plenty of suspense as I read to find out how Korelitz was going to pull it all off.  On one level, this book is a disturbing, twisty story, with a somewhat pathetic main character you couldn't help but have some sympathy for.  On another level, this book is a meditation on the ownership of ideas and the responsibility wrtiers have to one another.  On either level, the book falls a little short, as characters and ideas aren't as fleshed out as one might like, but that doesn't prevent it from being an overall enjoyable read.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.