The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz @hanff_jean @justjuliawhelan @MacmillanAudio

the setup…
Anna Williams-Bonner is the widow of Jacob Finch Bonner, the bestselling novelist of the book Crib and as his executor, launches his next novel posthumously. As it also becomes a hit, she stands in for him on tours to promote the novel. It’s during one of these events that she gets the idea to write her own book. The Afterword is a success but as she goes on tour to promote it, Anna begins receiving cryptic notes and excerpts from the book that Jake used to plagiarize his own. It’s stunning as Anna knew it shouldn’t exist. Her quest to find out who’s behind this and what they want sets her on a journey back into her own murky past.

the heart of the story…
I strongly recommend you read the first book before delving into this one. While the author satisfactorily provides enough background, it still was extremely helpful in understanding why the sudden emergence of these excerpts is so shocking and to really know Anna and why this is so threatening. I had a completely different opinion of her that slowly evolved as her truths were revealed. I was strangely drawn to this woman, kinda rooting for her, as she investigated her own past and that of her brother’s, dealing with people who had their own agenda.

the narration…
Julia Whelan was the ideal choice to tell this story! Anna is complex and she captured the essence of this woman perfectly. And of course the storytelling is outstanding.

the bottom line…
I was excited when I learned about this story, believing we’d heard the last of Anna, even though I’d wanted more. This delivered on my expectations, surpassing them. It’s hard to make an unpopular character sympathetic but the impossible happened for me. I was fascinated by the woman, her extraordinary past and quest to just lay claim to a story that was her rightful own.

Book Info

• Release Date: October 1, 2024
• Series: The Book #2
• Narrator: Julia Whelan
• Audio Length: 10 hours, 1 minute
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio

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(Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)