Book Review: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Book #242 of 2021:

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

A has-been writer, now teaching at a third-rate MFA program, rolls his eyes as a student brags that he has come up with a plan for a novel so utterly original that it’s guaranteed to become a bestselling sensation. But upon prying the plot out of the man, Jake is surprised to realize that he actually agrees — and when he later learns that the would-be novelist passed away shortly after their conversation, he decides to write the thing himself, without ever mentioning the source of its initial inspiration. The book does indeed achieve success, at which point the author starts receiving ominous messages from an anonymous stranger who claims to know it was stolen.

This tale is built around two mysteries, one that we uncover alongside the hero — who else did Parker tell about his intended project or share completed pages with, and what are they planning to do with the information? — and one that gradually brings us up to speed with the characters — just what is that uniquely brilliant storyline that has (arguably undeservedly) launched Jake to fame?

Unfortunately, neither thread is all it’s cracked up to be. The text-within-a-text is fine but not groundbreaking, and while I won’t spoil its big twist, it’s definitely similar to plenty of other works out there, several of which are even name-checked here. So I can accept that Crib becomes popular, but not exactly that everyone who reads or hears of it would be so struck by its distinctiveness. And although the larger narrative has a big reveal of its own, I’ve personally found it glaringly obvious from quite early on and thus been frustrated at how long it takes to officially get sprung on the protagonist and us.

Overall, this is a solid literary thriller with a compelling investigation but some unfortunate delusions of grandeur. Despite assertions of innovation, it joins a healthy tradition of existing titles about appropriated ideas and identities, from Deathtrap to Secret Window to The Talented Mr. Ripley. Or perhaps it plagiarizes them, if you like.

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The Escape by K. A. Applegate

Book #241 of 2021:

The Escape by K. A. Applegate (Animorphs #15)

This is one of the more straightforward Animorphs missions — they basically just sneak onto an enemy base, sabotage it, and then do as the title says and escape — but it does offer minor developments for the larger series and some creative wrinkles throughout. There’s the return of the pacifist Chee androids, for instance, first tipping off our protagonists with the insider information they’ve gained by pretending to be Controllers, plus the introduction of a new species called the Leerans that the Yeerks are targeting, a race whose psychic powers make them a grave threat to discover and reveal the humans’ secret identities. And on a character level, our narrator Marco reencounters his mother and finally tells his friends the truth that he learned about her back in The Predator.

The underwater facility raises a few nice logistical problems too, from the army of guard sharks to the difficulties of Tobias participating fully to the implant devices the team receive which temporarily stop them from morphing into smaller animals. Still, it’s not terribly complicated, and it never quite feels as though the heroes are being properly challenged, particularly once Visser Three coincidentally shows up to start squabbling with his boss, creating a scene of confusion that the Animorphs are able to use to their advantage. I will still take a book like this over the cartoonish vibe of certain other volumes, but it’s pretty solidly forgettable overall.

[Content warning for body horror and bullying.]

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The Wanderers by Meg Howrey

Book #240 of 2021:

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey

This novel has a plot — three astronauts train in a seventeen-month simulated flight to Mars and back while their families adjust to life without them and the concept of having to go through the same thing again if the crew is tapped for the eventual real journey — but it doesn’t ever bolster that with any particular stakes or urgency. There’s instead a lot of personal introspection on everyone’s part, some suggestions at character arcs that don’t quite lead anywhere, and a scientifically-grounded yet ultimately uneventful look at how this sort of space travel might actually play out. A late worry from one of the voyagers that perhaps the simulation is fake and they’ve truly blasted off adds a hint of intrigue, but this too is dropped before reaching a resolution (in addition to being rather ludicrous on its face). Although each individual chapter of this book feels competently told, they’re a bit boring overall, as is the larger story around them.

[Content warning for statutory rape, suicide attempt, sexism, and homophobia including slurs]

★★☆☆☆

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Book Review: Billy Summers by Stephen King

Book #239 of 2021:

Billy Summers by Stephen King

I really enjoy the first section of this crime thriller about a hitman with a conscience, detailing the slow build-up to his intended last kill. Enmeshed for weeks in a community while waiting for his target to arrive, he’s able to construct two alternate identities for himself: a cover story to give his neighbors that his potentially-treacherous client is aware of, and a secret third alias for emergencies that no one else can know. (Or a fourth, I suppose, since he’s also privately much smarter than the simple goon the mobster thinks he’s hired.) Billy finds that he has time to write his memoirs too, revealing his past as a troubled youth and a Marine sniper in Iraq. I’ve seen complaints that this stretch of the narrative is dull, but I appreciate how gradually it unfolds and am reminded favorably of author Stephen King’s earlier 11/22/63, in addition to the spycraft disguise shenanigans of something like The Americans.

The rest of the novel is more iffy, unfortunately. Spoilers ahead in this paragraph: A pretty inorganic development at the book’s midpoint brings a young woman half his age into the protagonist’s life — she’s literally dumped and left for dead on the side of the road near his safehouse by the men who gang-raped her — and the writer’s treatment of her trauma isn’t always so great. She ultimately falls in love with her rescuer, who nurses her back to health, has to repeatedly hide his erection from her, and tracks down and sexually assaults her assailants in revenge. Later, as the hero and his unlikely sidekick make a plan to infiltrate the home of the man who double-crossed him, she darkens his face with makeup so that he can pretend to be a Hispanic gardener. It’s kind of messed up!

As a storyteller, King continues to show the raw talent that’s made him a beloved and bestselling household name so many times over, but there are moments when I have to wonder whether the septuagenarian multimillionaire is still receiving effective critical pushback from his editing team. This title starts off so strongly, before veering off along an uncomfortable subplot that someone ideally should have had him rein in. As an overall tale it’s fine, and the ending is rather well-done, but he gets in his own way a lot and the potential that seems apparent at the start is never wholly realized.

[Content warning for domestic abuse, child rape, death of a child, panic attacks, gun violence, ableism, and racism including slurs]

★★★☆☆

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TV Review: Scandal, season 1

TV #67 of 2021:

Scandal, season 1

Initially this drama about a Washington lawyer/fixer seems like it might be clunkier and soapier than I would prefer, but it improves on the former measure as this first year goes along — an achievement, given that that’s just seven episodes in total — and the latter isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker for me. The eye-rolling detail that Olivia Pope’s gut instincts are always right and she only takes on clients she knows are innocent is quickly dropped, and the overall tone gets more engaging as the serialized narrative of blackmail and presidential affairs picks up steam.

Granted, I don’t think enough is being done to distinguish the different associates at the protagonist’s firm, none of whom are as sharply drawn as herself or her White House contacts, and our wide-eyed entry character Quinn’s mysterious backstory is particularly a dud. I should also confess that I have a hard time rooting for a Republican president (or someone who helped elect one), even as a moderate in the show’s version of 2012. He does still have a bible-thumping Tea Party woman for a VP, after all, and there’s so far been no attempt to clarify his actual policy stances beyond a nebulous right-of-center yet left-of-her. But despite such lingering unevenness, the season finale is much stronger than the pilot, and that’s all I really need to keep watching for now.

[Content warning for domestic abuse, rape, miscarriage, suicide, torture, and gore.]

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

Book #238 of 2021:

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

This sci-fi novel plays with a few interesting concepts, especially in its setting of two opposing cities, the only human settlements in the narrow hospitable zone of a tidally-locked planet that will either burn or freeze anyone who wanders astray. I’ve enjoyed the native aliens too, a species of tentacled crocodiles from the dark side of the globe whose offers of assistance are met with horror at their appearance and disbelief in their intelligence. (They later genetically modify one of the heroines to bring her form closer to theirs for easier communication, which sickens a friend who can’t accept that she consented to the procedure and is still herself. I mention that simply to note that the subtext is particularly resonant coming from a transgender author like Charlie Jane Anders.)

Unfortunately, there just isn’t much of a plot to scaffold the worldbuilding, and I’m not always able to buy into the character decisions or interpersonal connections that could potentially smooth over that lack. Conflicts have major developments regularly happening off-screen or else don’t resolve at all, and the protagonists are passive for long stretches of unclear motivation. Several relationships read as queer, but one of them is ultimately revealed as an unrequited crush, which raises doubt about the rest, which are likewise not explicitly spelled out. Overall, this story has more parts that I appreciate than love, although it feels like an alternate configuration of some of those pieces might have really wowed me.

[Content warning for homophobia, gun violence, police brutality, and genocide.]

★★★☆☆

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TV Review: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, season 1

TV #66 of 2021:

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, season 1

A fun sketch comedy series that’s also quite short, with only six episodes of under 20 minutes each. Not every skit is a winner for me, and overall they lean on awkward cringe humor and shouting more than I’d probably prefer, but there are definitely enough gems to keep watching. And even the weaker efforts generally carry the sort of offbeat rhythms that are markedly different from the mainstream SNL approach to this type of entertainment, which makes for a nice change of pace. My favorites from this first year include The Night Scrooge Saved Christmas, Has This Ever Happened To You?, and of course, the Hot Dog Car (which has now become a bit of a reaction meme online, and is what initially brought the show to my attention). I’ve heard people say the second season is better still, so I’m looking forward to checking that out soon.

★★★☆☆

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Book Review: The Body in Question by Jill Ciment

Book #237 of 2021:

The Body in Question by Jill Ciment

Two middle-aged jurors in a major murder trial — who go unnamed until a verdict is reached two-thirds of the way through the text — embark on an affair while sequestered, after which one must return home to her dying husband and deal with the assorted fallout. That premise has potential, but in execution I feel too disconnected from all of these characters, and too frustrated by their common inability to articulate and advocate for their particular desires.

The central Florida setting lacks the specificity that I want as someone who grew up in the area as well; other than references to Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman there are few distinguishing features provided for the locale. And the case under deliberation is so gruesome, involving a one-year-old burning to death in his crib, that more substance is really needed somewhere in the novel to justify and offset it. Unfortunately, the story just never gets there for me.

[Content warning for euthanasia and ableism including slurs.]

★★☆☆☆

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Book Review: The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge by Stephen R. Donaldson

Book #236 of 2021:

The Gap Into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge by Stephen R. Donaldson (The Gap Cycle #2)

This sequel is a major improvement over its predecessor, deepening the worldbuilding of the space opera setting and populating it beyond a simple archetypal trio. We also switch our focal protagonist from the rapist lowlife Angus Thermopyle to his recovering victim Morn Hyland, who proves to offer far more engaging a perspective. Although there’s still a fair bit of rape and other brutality, we are at least no longer seeing it through the eyes of the perpetrator, which is a welcome change. I don’t recommend the previous volume to everyone, but I will say that any readers who can bring themselves to finish it should check this one out to watch how the story gets better from there.

Morn herself is a capable heroine, in the tradition of author Stephen R. Donaldson’s earlier Linden Avery and Terisa Morgan (of the Thomas Covenant and Mordant’s Need series, respectively). Like those women aboard Starfare’s Gem or within the walls of Orison, she spends a lot of time bouncing around a contained environment, learning how to leverage the insights of her despair in conversation with one figure after another. Here, that’s the spaceship of the pirate who rescued her from Angus, and who gradually reveals himself to be just as cruel and vindictive a captor. Nick Succorso is the true villain of this piece, and his steady transition into that role is a skillful exhibit of writing and plotting.

The richer texture of the narrative adds an interesting transhumanist element as well. Morn’s neural implant was initially employed to keep her docile for Angus’s regular assaults, but now that the controls are in her own hands, she’s able to wield it to both manage her Gap sickness and push her mind and body way past their natural limits. She’s reclaiming her power following significant trauma, especially when she uses the device to secretly increase her arousal for marathon lovemaking sessions with Nick, whose touch we’re told she would otherwise loathe. This sci-fi sex work isn’t always comfortable to observe, but as a way of playing the captain’s egotistical expectations against him, it’s a great weapon in her arsenal.

Honestly, the cadet’s personal arc in this novel is fantastic, and I’m tempted to give the title my highest five-star rating on her basis alone. Two items temper my praise somewhat, however. First, the background thread of galactic politics and Angus’s transformation into the cyborg ‘Joshua’ doesn’t really go anywhere, teeing up certain important details for the rest of the saga but not exactly contributing to the immediate adventure quite yet. And second, too little attention is given to Morn’s “son,” the child grown from a fetus to a teenager in minutes and imprinted with an exact copy of her memories. (Thank the local aliens, whom I haven’t had room for in this review but who are creepy and incomprehensible in the best way.) This could be a valuable transgender storyline — Davies clearly experiences some dysphoria at not having Morn’s expected form upon waking — but the text and characters all use he/him pronouns for the kid, without exception or challenge. While I’m trying not to impose my 2021 understanding of gender on fiction from three decades ago or insist on a tidy exploration of an inherently messy subject, something feels off about all this. I think my issue is not that this treatment of the teen is automatically transphobic, but rather that Donaldson keeps such a fascinating development on the periphery of the tale, depriving us of the information necessary to grapple with it effectively at all.

It’s been so long since my last reread that I can’t remember how these aspects continue to play out, but they’re substantial enough to impact my enjoyment and merit a ‘very good’ four stars instead of an ‘excellent’ five for the current book. Overall, though, this is a strong effort that’s far darker than the usual products of its genre, and a big step forward from the original launch.

[Content warning for addiction, domestic abuse, torture, self-harm, suicide, and racism.]

★★★★☆

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Book Review: The Unknown by K. A. Applegate

Book #235 of 2021:

The Unknown by K. A. Applegate (Animorphs #14)

It’s hard to pick the single goofiest element of this story. Is it the Yeerks infesting wild horses — the first earth animal hosts we’ve seen — to sneak into the setting’s equivalent of Area 51 and discover what the government is hiding there? Is it the ultimate punchline of the secret artifact being an alien toilet, one of several pieces of potty humor throughout the text? Is it the team getting caught on-base by the military, giving their names as 90s pop culture figures like Fox Mulder, and escaping as cockroaches clutched in Tobias’s talons? Is it our protagonist morphing into a horse herself and racing to qualify for the Kentucky Derby? Or maybe the final climactic showdown at the local amusement park, in which oblivious human onlookers think the fierce combat they’re witnessing is part of the House of Horrors ride?

Don’t get me wrong — this book is deliriously fun to read, particularly with the additional nostalgia factor of coming back to it decades later. It’s just missing the weight and personal stakes that I most appreciate in the Animorphs series. Everything feels rather inconsequential and cartoonish, which can be a nice breather amid the darkness of some other volumes but is never going to capture my attention as fully. Cassie doesn’t even raise any deep moral questions for her friends to ponder, for once. It’s overall a pretty silly time, give or take the customary scenes of body horror and the underlying premise of the larger franchise that remains.

★★★☆☆

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