The Plot

Talented Tom’s Tweets do not attract attention, so Tom creates a Facebook account. Tom’s first post there gets so much attention that Jake’s agent calls Jake in for a meeting. Everyone at the publisher thinks Talented Tom is lying, but she wants Jake to talk to the publisher’s legal counsel. Jake feels terrible that he has to attend a negative meeting with his publisher, rather than all the previous positive ones.

At the meeting, the lawyer presents a printout of all of Talented Tom’s social media posts. Jake reiterates that he wrote the whole book (which is technically true). The publisher does not connect the implied Ripley of Talented Tom’s name with the college where Jake taught. They discuss the fact that plots can’t be owned and that the work of writing goes far beyond having a good idea. However, they admit that the plot of Crib is unique. The lawyer wants to go on the offensive by threatening legal action online to hopefully scare Tom.

The next Crib excerpt covers Samantha going to the hospital, her labor, and the birth of her baby, Maria.

Jake’s lawyer adds a warning comment to Talented Tom’s post, and Tom is quiet for a few days, but eventually replies, asserting again that Jake is a thief. The media latches onto the story, going after Jake, but his agent and publisher stand behind him, saying all successful authors have crazy internet trolls attacking them. Jake’s writer friends send him notes of encouragement and support, and Evan’s old friend Martin contacts Jake, saying Tom’s post has reached the Ripley alum page.

In this chapter’s excerpt from Crib, after Samantha’s dad dies, the family loses his considerable income. Samantha is a robotic mom to Maria, now a difficult two-year-old. Samantha has to watch her classmates graduate without her, while her mom becomes a pro-life protestor at abortion clinics.

Jake struggles to write, and obsessively checks Tom’s social media. His publisher does not present any options for dealing with Tom. However, they support Jake and encourage him to keep working. Eventually he establishes a good writing routine, and produces a strong draft of his new novel after a month. His publisher accepts it, and everyone seems to be happy.

In May, Anna asks Jake if something is wrong in an attempt to gauge whether her online alter ego is getting to him. Jake believes she doesn’t know about the threatening messages, so he says that nothing is wrong. He worries about losing her. When she hints at wanting more out of their relationship, he promptly asks her to marry him. Anna says yes, and they celebrate.

Less than a week later, Jake and Anna buy a ring and get married at City Hall. Their reception is in a Chinatown Mott Street restaurant, where Jake’s agent Matilda meets Anna for the first time. Seattle is Matilda’s hometown, so the two women talk about Randy the radio DJ being a letch and other Seattle topics. When Matilda subtly brings up the online harassment, Jake quickly changes the topic.

Anna and Jake go to New Orleans for their honeymoon. When they return to New York, Jake finds a letter from Talented Tom (presumably mailed by Anna while they were on vacation). He hides and reads the letter in the bathroom. Jake still thinks Tom is a writer from Ripley, so he contacts Martin on the pretense of giving feedback on his work. They agree to meet for drinks in Rutland, Vermont—Evan’s hometown.

In the Crib excerpt, Samantha’s mother gets cancer and dies. Samantha now works from home processing medical bills. Maria is intelligent, but Samantha won’t let her skip a grade. Maria has started to take charge of the household.

When Jake tells Anna he is going to Vermont for a book event, Anna offers to come to this imaginary reading, but Jake turns her down. He doesn’t realize she is trying to keep him from discovering her past. In his hotel, Jake quickly skims Martin’s stories, which reminds him of reading Ripley College workshop stories at the last minute.

When Jake meets Martin for drinks, Jake asks about Evan. Martin reiterates that Evan was secretive about his writing, and adds that Evan hated his dead sister Dianna. When Martin starts to get suspicious that the conversation is only about Evan, Jake changes the subject to Martin’s writing.

After Martin leaves, Jake goes to Evan’s tavern. Sally, the sister-in-law of the new owner, starts talking to Jake. Sally knew Evan; to her, he didn’t seem like the type who could write a book. As Sally becomes increasingly intoxicated, she gossips about Evan’s sister Dianna, describing her with many negative, profane remarks. Dianna’s daughter, Evan’s niece, escaped town—but the bar owner and Sally don’t know where the niece went after leaving Rutland.

This chapter’s excerpt from Crib compares Samantha and the now 15-year-old Maria. The daughter is a lesbian who is less into academic achievement and fulfilling social expectations than her mother had been at her age; she also easily disposes of and replaces friends. Maria starts dating, eventually meeting a girl named Gab.

The next day, Jake drives to Evan’s old house, which turns out to be pretty. When a woman named Betty pulls up, Jake says he used to know Evan and is a famous author. Betty invites him inside, where there is a great deal of cat décor and cats. Betty introduces her partner Sylvia, and the three of them talk about the house.

The couple lament that a carbon monoxide leak killed Evan’s mother, claiming that the Parkers had the worst luck. They bought the house from Evan’s niece—the one who fled town. Jake offers to mail them copies of his book since they only have a library copy. As he is about to leave, Jake sees that this house has the same pineapples stenciled around the door and the tops of the walls that the house in Evan’s story featured. Jake realizes Evan’s story must be autobiographical.

In the next Crib excerpt, Maria and Gab hang out all the time at Samantha’s house. When Maria wins a scholarship to Ohio State, Samantha only finds out because a school administrator needs Samantha to sign papers so Maria can graduate early. Samantha struggles to be motherly, but is jealous of Maria’s opportunities. After breaking up with Gab, Maria starts subtly preparing to leave without telling Samantha her plans. Mother and daughter now look incredibly alike.

Jake freaks out in a Walgreens parking lot about the fact that he stole the plot of Evan’s sister’s life. At the local library, Jake researches Evan’s family. Dianna’s obituary is mostly unhelpful. However, Jake finds the name of Evan’s niece: Rose.

When Jake searches for information on Rose Parker, he finds the lawyer who sold the Rutland house to Betty and Sylvia. He visits this lawyer’s office, claiming to be interested in local real estate for his wife’s podcasting. Here, Jake learns Rose was in Georgia when this firm did the real estate transaction.

Anna calls as Jake is driving past Albany. She says she got a letter from Talented Tom, searched for him online, and found the history of accusations about Jake’s book. When she asks why Jake didn’t tell her, he says they’ll talk when he gets home. Jake regrets not telling Anna, but, after some contemplation, he still feels justified in using the plot because Evan couldn’t.

When Jake gets home, Anna cooks soup for him. Jake confesses that while he used Evan’s plot structure after his death, he did not copy any of Evan’s writing. Jake also admits to researching Evan. Anna is genuinely upset (worried that Jake will be onto her), but says she’s on Jake’s side. Then, Jake tells her he believes Talented Tom is Evan’s niece.

This chapter’s Crib excerpt finds Samantha and Maria not on speaking terms. The night Maria says she’s leaving, mother and daughter fight, and Samantha kills Maria by swinging her head into the bed frame. Samantha takes over Maria’s identity in order to skip town. Before taking Maria’s place in college, Samantha gets a rental cabin in Allegheny National Forest to bury her daughter in the middle of nowhere.