While the start was slow, the unease picked up steam throughout the book leading to a chilling (and somehow satisfying?) ending. When a once successful and now thoroughly down on his luck author finds himself teaching a creative writing course - he can't be bothered. He knows what trash his students will come up with and he normally wouldn't be bothered but he needs the money. After his first book's moderate success, Jacob Finch Bonner, failed to produce anything noteworthy and his era as an author seems to be over. When a rude and pretentious student shares the plot of a novel he's working on though - Jacob is hooked. This kid isn't bluffing the plot is new and different and only an idiot could mess up the story of it. When Jacob finds out years later that his student died, he immediately looks for the story - did he ever publish it? Jacob decides that a good plot can't die so he writes the story and "borrows" the genius plot. As he predicted the book throws him into the spotlight and suddenly he's one of the most famous authors in America. Oprah made it her book club choice, Spielberg is directing the movie, the money keeps pouring in. He has everything he ever wanted, but why isn't he happy? The more famous Jacob gets, the more nervous he becomes. What happens if people discover he's a fraud? But there is no way that anyone could know... could they? Suspenseful and intriguing. A great books about writers, the literary arts, and deceit.
