The Mystery Novel THE PLOT I Liked it a Lot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Jean Hanff Korelitz's mystery thriller, "The Plot" (2021) delivers another surprising twist.  In addition, there's the trials and tribulations inherent to writers.  Jacob "Finch" Bonner is an aspiring writer; a one hit wonder who wonders if he'll ever achieve his dreams of becoming a celebrity author, garnering Oprah's stamp of approval while filling auditoriums full of fans of his fiction.  Jacob attains the glory he aspires to but his ability to revel in the accolades of fame are shrouded in guilt and shame.  Sliding down the ladder of success, Jacob lands a teaching job at a subpar University.  It's here Jacob meets Evan Peters, an arrogant student who claims he has a sure thing in the story he's writing.  Evan's haughtiness is not unfounded.  Evan reluctantly reveals the plot to Jacob who concedes the story is too fascinating to fail. "The Plot" progresses three years finding Jacob teaching at an even more remote program scraping to earn a living and failing to deliver a literary winner.  A new, brassy student causes Evan to wonders whatever become of Evan and his promising book.  Going on the internet Jacob discovers Evan died shortly after the semester he was his student.  Furthermore, there are no indications of Evan's fledgling book having been published.  There's no mystery whether Jason intends to steal the plot.  Jacob is convinced he can turn Evan's idea into a best-seller with his own stellar writing.  Jacob surpasses his own expectations with the favorable outcome from this book reaching massive sales and a deal turning the book into a movie directed by Spielberg.   On a promo tour for the book, Evan meets broadcast producer Anna.  Jacob invites Anna to visit him  in NYC which quickly leads to their moving in together and becoming tethered.  Anna realizes Jacob is stressed or maybe depressed and asks her husband to be forthcoming with her.  Jacob unburdens his worries. He's  been receiving messages from a "Talented Tom" accusing him of plagiarism and threatening to expose him.  Anna also receives a message from "Talented Tom" and Jacob admits to her the truth, he "appropriated" the idea.  Jacob's publishers provide him legal counsel but Jacob does admit the idea for the plot was not his own.  Instead, Jacob plans to find whose threatening him and confront the person despite Anna's pleas not to pursue this dangerous strategy.  Korelitz wrote the best-seller book, "The Undoing" which was made into a gripping HBO series starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.  "The Plot" is being made into a mini-series which is sure to please. The novel moves quickly between events in Jacob's life, excerpts from his book and Jacob's own detective work.  "The Plot" succeeds as a writer character study, beguiling mystery and clever duplicity; a story within a story.  

STRANGER in the WOODS-Man Lives Alone in the Woods for 27 Years, Stranger than Fiction

"Modern life seems set up so that we can avoid loneliness at all costs, but maybe it's worthwhile to face it occasionally," contemplates NYT journalist, Michael Fink.  Fink was the only person Chis Knight, "the hermit," corresponded with or granted visitations.  Knight a.k.a., the hermit is notoriously known for surviving alone in the wilderness for 27 years.  Hermit and surviving are questionable terms because the appellate was coined by people in ME whose homes were subjected to his thefts.  Surviving is not how  Knight would describe his life of for nearly 30 years throughout severe weather and stark conditions in the woods.  Perhaps, thrive would best describe Knights existence in isolation in a primitive environment.   Therein lies two major enigmas, how did he manage to survive alone and secondly, and what's even more perplexing, why would he choose to ostracize himself?  Knight managed to elude detection as he mysteriously managed to traverse the words without leaving footprints and his break-ins for food, clothes, books and batteries were meticulous; nothing left awry.   Still, there are so many why questions left unanswered.  One ponders conceptions we hold from reading Fink's factual reporting of Knight's history, and methods for survival and an accounting of Knight's state of mind.  One wonders how and why Knight chose to live like this and how exactly did he managed to avoid any human interaction for so long.   Most beguiling, how did Knight manage not to feel lonely? What's to be gained by self-awareness and self-reliance and what benefits mankind by living amongst others.  I strongly recommend STRANGER in the WOODS for its unique opportunity to assess a lifestyle and a lifestyle choice unlike any that's been previously reported.  It's endlessly fascinating and spins a romantic idea of solitude and a hellhole of self-inflicted banishment.  Knight remained true to himself in a way most could ever conceive.  "He left because the world is not made to accommodate people like him.  He was never happy in his youth.  It made him feel constantly nervous.  There was no place for him, and instead of suffering further, he escaped.  It was not so much a protest as a quest.  He was a refugee from the human race.  The forest offered him shelter."   Knight's disdain for society stems from its frenzy and crassness.  "It's too loud.  Too colorful. The lack of aesthetics.  The crudeness. The inanities.  The trivia. The inappropriate choices of aspirations and goals." Aside from Knight judgements of societal flaws,  Knight had a natural proclivity for the serenity inherent in nature.  "I did it because the alternative was-I wasn't content.  I did find a place where I was content.  I miss the woods."   

SEVEN DAYS in JUNE-Rates a 6.5 for a LIGHT SUMMER READ

Tia Williams latest novel, SEVEN DAYS in JUNE, is about two sexy, 30 something, writers who hooked up at seventeen and reconvene some 20 years later.  The two sense their original attraction is something  more than what came before.  Shane, is now a highly regarded writer having earned a Pulitzer Prize.   Eve is a successful author of a series of sensual, "Twilight, esq." novels that garner a cult following.  Together, they're dubbed "the Black book world's new prom king and queen."  Since the two went their separate ways, Eve has raised a precocious teenage daughter, with whom she shares a tight bond, perhaps too strong.  "Eve's self-worth depended on how her daughter thought of her.  She knew it was unhealthy."  Audre, Eve's daughter, is delightful with her mature vibrato which stems in part from being raised in an affluent, NYC neighborhood by a strong, single parent.  The mother/daughter dynamic between the Eve and Audre is what I found most captivating.  Williams focuses on the tumultuous upbringing Eve had with her mother who relied on the men in her life to care for her leaving Eve to fend for herself.  Williams is ambitious in the subjects she lilts upon; chronic illness, sexual abuse, and self-mutilation.  The book also dabbles in Haitian/Spanish file-flavored culture rich in both highly religious and colorfully superstitious customs.  The mirepoix of sexual tension, serious topics and light heartedness doesn't always congeal.  Still, the romance between Shane and Eve sizzles and all the characters are immensely likable to concoct a magical intoxication for a fun summer read. "I've always, loved you, he whispered.  What a coincidence, she whispered back.  I've always loved you, too.  Shakespeare, this star crossed lovers story, this is not.  But it is hot and it speaks to familial love that rings true.  "This is that family feeling, he thought.  Of total acceptance, belonging to people. A connection that eclipsed everything."  SEVEN DAYS in JUNE is a delightful summer read with a wink at Twilight fans who are now  probably 30 something or other.   

Melinda's Top Ten Picks on Mindel's Kindle, Fiction and Non-Fiction Read This Year

The following list of my favorite reads so far this year include both fiction and non-fiction in alphabetical order by author:

1.   A LIE SOMEBODY TOLD US about YOU - "Honorable," elective abortion and its impact on a couple's coupledom by Robert Ho Davies.   

2.  LAWN BOY - Y/A novel banned in FL public schools is an uplifting and inspiring coming of age by Jonathan Evison

3.   A CALLING for CHARLIE BARNES is a novel about a charming & annoying man told by his enamored son, a successful novelist despite his siblings many misgivings by Joshua Ferris.

4.    The STRANGER in the WORDS by journalist Michael Finkel, the only non-official person to speak with Chris Knight who chose to live in the woods of ME alone for 27 years.

5.   The FRAN LEBOWITZ READER - The social commentary orateur known for her sharp wit and lengthy writers' block.

6.   MOTH - Y/A Coming of Age novel told in poetic prose by Amber McBride.

7.   HELL of a BOOK - Nat'l Book Award Winner for Fiction ('21) by Jason Mott.

8.   The LAST INTERVIEW - Israeli novelist's memoir told in response to interview questions he construes for himself by Eshkol Nevo.

9.   RENEGADES - Transcribed buddy podcasts with President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen.

10.  A SWIM in the POND - A Master class in short story writing by Booker Prize Winning novelist George Saunders. 

IRREPAEBLE: THREE LIVES TWO DEATHS Tragic, True Fatal Love Triangle

In April 2018, Mark Geradot's affair with a beautiful, much younger woman would not have garnered  headlines except Geradot's scorned wife relinquished hell's fury.  Jennair Geradot's scenario was not unique except she commited the unimaginable.  Jennair staked a high tech espionage surveillance of her philandering husband and his mistress, carried out the heinous murder of her replacement and then killed herself.  Should we care?  The answer is yes.  Not for its salacious and gruesome details but because it's a true story told by Geradot which others can learn from and prevent such tragic outcomes. "My intent is in no way to exploit what had happened but to set the record straight, shine a light on mental health, on guns and hopefully humanize the two women I loved and give them both the respect they deserve."  It must be noted Geradot receives remuneration for giving the two women he reportedly loved and there's blame to be levied against his deceitful behavior.  Should Mark feel guilty?  This is a question he poses for himself and for which I answer with a resounding, yes!  Needless, Mark's illicit behaviors are not illegal, nor punishable by stoning; thankfully.  Mark's behaviors didn't abet his wife's murderous action but he's guilty of not abating his wife's anguish while pursuing his love interest, Meredith, his boss.  Mark's recounting of his young relationship with Jennair, their happy but tumultuous married life is driven with the foreknowledge of its disastrous ending.  Furthermore, the posthumous investigative journey he pursues on the months of his ill-fated new city, new job and new, improved lover is jaw dropping in scope.  It's hard to conceive Jennair was able to pursue her vengeance without Mark noting flagrant warnings signs of her  mounting psychosis.  Mark professes to have been unaware he was in an abusive relationship with Jennair.  He does concede, " I do regret having carelessly wounded Jennair so deeply, for not recognizing her sickness nor the depth of the wounds I'd caused and not foreseeing the lengths to which she would go to relieve her pain and exact her revenge. " Mark seeks to connect with Jennair's psychiatrist and divorce coach after her suicide.  Jennair's psychiatrist refused on ethical grounds but Sheila, Jennair's coach agreed.  After sharing stories from his married life, Sheila queried Mark. "She asked, almost rhetorically, you were in an abusive relationship. You know that right? Me? In an abusive relationship?  I would never say that."  I say this is a shameless exercise for Mark to shed guilt and express remorse, regardless of how disingenuous it seems.    

LAWN BOY Banned in FL Schools Y/A Coming of Age

Book banning is shameful and outrageous.  It attacks the very foundations of learning, freedom of expression and erodes the capacity to think independently.  Banning of books in schools, or anywhere is the demise of democracy. LAWN BOY by Jonathan Evison is a Y/A coming of age novel.  Michael "Mike" is a teen living with his single mother and mentally challenged brother on a reservation.  Mike speaks to the reader of his struggles to get ahead when it's barely possibly to stop from falling behind.  This is an American Dream story told from a young voice reminiscent of Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield.  Like these two iconic literary characters, Mike is an outsider burdened with responsibilities but endowed with kindness and perspective are well beyond his years.  Mike's indefatigable spirit and loyalty is admirable and at times, cringe worthy.  Lesson for youung as well as old is the ability to question one's affirmations. "Maybe loyalty was conditional, after all.  Maybe my burgeoning sense of self, my developing identity as a socially engaged, newly gay, working-class half-Mexican topiary artist demanded such wholesale sacrifices as leaving my old friends in the dust." The novel's hero asserts his self- homosexuality.  This is likely the reason this literary novel is banned in some states.  Mike's journey discovery is within a world far less than accepting of deviating from a misguided perceived norm.  Tending lawns is how Michael earns a living.  It's mostly enjoyable work if it weren't for the clients. "The tasks were mostly satisfying...a heady mix of concentration and abstraction....The only downside of landscaping was the clients, specifically, those that went out of the way to let you know your place."  Mike's quips on the wealthy, elitist treatment of those assumed to be beneath them are hilarious and shaming.  As he contemplates what's limiting himself he questions, "If he was only willing to think beyond the confines of his experience, if he could summon the courage and wherewithal to break the patterns that defined him.  If only he could believe in himself. And I was beginning to." Mike's burgeoning self-determination causes us to root for his success. "I never wanted to be the guy that leveraged himself at at the cost of everything else." As it turns out, "I'm mowing your lawn on my terms now.  I'm making my own rules and punching my own clock.  I'm blazing my own trail." There's much to admire from Evison's inspiring book  It's a stentorian voice for independence. "Maybe the biggest lesson I've learned, in art and in life, is that when the questions become too numerous and the considerations begin to feel a little overwhelming, you just have to look away for a minute and regather your vision for the thing, try to see it the way it originally came to you." Ban book banning.  Put this on top of your reading list. 

A LIE SOMEBODY TOLD US ABOUT YOU- Abortion's Impact on an Intact Couple

"Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself," according to Anais Nin.   Peter Ho Davies appropriate this quote for the title to his sensitive novel which uncovers the aftermath of an abortion on a married couple.  Peter Ho Davies' tender and stirring novel is narrated in third-person from the vantage of the father.  A young couple are counseled on the pre-natal exams of their fetus, determined as female.  A possible genetic disordered laden this couple whether to terminate the pregnancy.  Deciding to terminate, the regret, guilt and contemplation following the birth of their son afterwards drive the father's feeling towards his wife, son and himself.  The overriding emotion is one of guilt for the daughter they didn't have and guilt towards the fierce love felt for the son they have. "He is the child of abortion and the end of regret.  We had an abortion and then we had a child.  But also:  we had a child and then we had an abortion.  The koan of their lives."  Life is messy and complicated.  The couple are advised by several teachers they should have their son tested for autism.  Testing is something viewed with anathema and is deferred although both parents observe their son's social awkwardness and physical delays.  The resentment towards the son's coordinated classmates who rush pass and ignore him feel lethal to the father.  He choses to volunteer at a health clinic that provides abortions. He stops working there because the animosity felt towards protestors at the clinic was as a murderous rage.   "He realizes with a dull pang, the antis, who are the only ones who can absolve him, forgive him.  Because they believe he's a sinner, and secretly he agrees.  That's why he hates them really-because they won't."  This perceptive novel doesn't defend or argue for abortion rights.  It opens our hearts and minds to the powerful feelings following the procedure which is not made lightly.   The author's aim is not to clarify political or emotional reasoning, rather, to have the space to regard his feelings.  "Later he will understand that all these feelings-his, his wife's-just won't fit between the lines, between the sides. In the political box.  He doesn't want to argue about those feelings to defend them or justify them, he just wants to be left alone to feel them."   His wife tells him, "It's not really regret, you know.  It's grief."  I highly recommend this absorbing and intelligent novel.