When it comes to Scott B. Smith it’s a good thing we got the quality because the quantity is on the low side with only The Ruins released since this one came out in 1993. Hank Mitchell is a regular guy living in rural Ohio with his pregnant wife Sarah and a steady job as an accountant at a feed store. He isn’t close to his brother Jacob who is a high school dropout that spends most of his time drunk when not scrounging out a living. One of the few times they interact is their regular New Year’s Eve visit to the graves of their parents. While taking care of this annual obligation they’re going to drop off Jacob’s drinking buddy Lou before heading to the cemetery when a freak accident leads the three men to the discovery of a small plane that has crashed in the snowy woods. Along with a dead pilot they find a bag with over four million dollars in it.Hank’s first instinct is to turn in the money to the cops, but Lou and Jacob want to keep it. Tempted but worried that the two men will do something stupid to draw attention to them, Hank will only agree if he holds the cash until the plane is eventually discovered once the snow melts. If no one is looking for the money after the plane is found, they’ll split it up and go their separate ways.Anybody think this is going to end well?This is one of my favorite crime novels and a prime example of what I consider to be noir. What starts as the kind of decision that many (Most?) people would make is the first step towards suspicion and betrayal that finds Hank constantly reevaluating his relationship with his estranged brother. That’s about all I want to reveal to anyone who hasn’t read it, but if you like dark stories about the lengths seemingly ordinary people will go to when they see a chance to change their lives, give this one a try.It was also turned into a very good movie adaptation with Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton that has significant plot differences that make it a surprising watch even if you’ve read the book.A few more thoughts for those who have read it. (view spoiler)[• This and No Country For Old Men make the point that if you find a bag of money and want to keep it that you should never never never go back to the place where you found it.• I’ve always thought it was effectively creepy how the pregnant Sarah becomes Hank’s Lady Macbeth, but they make the amateur criminal mistake of being just a little too cute with their crimes. Sarah’s idea of returning some money to the plane is clever, but returning to it causes the first murder. Killing Sonny as part of the stage setting for the murders of Lou and Nancy was completely unnecessary. The cops would have no trouble believing that a guy like Lou could shotgun his girlfriend in a drunken rage for any trivial reason. Trying to make it look like Sonny and Nancy were having an affair was an unnecessary risk that could have easily backfired.• Speaking of that shotgun murder spree, I’ve read this three or four times, but I just realized that Smith made some critical errors with Hank's actions that should have got him caught. First, Hank called Sarah after Lou and Nancy were dead, and she comes up with the plan about involving Sonny. The story is that they dropped off Lou and were leaving when they heard the shooting. If the cops pulled the phone records (Which seems likely at the house of a quadruple murder.) they’d see that call to Sarah and have a good idea that Hank was lying. Also, gunshot residue tests that would be routinely administered in a situation like that would show that Lou hadn’t fired a gun but that Hank had been emptying a shotgun. • I’d forgotten the part about Jacob’s dog. Hank really shows that he’s kind of an uncaring son-of-a-bitch under this regular fella persona when he leaves the poor animal alone in a garage nights and ties it to a tree during the day where it has nothing to do but sit in the cold and mud. He never considers that it’s not Jacob’s death but his own treatment that makes the dog mean, or of trying to find another home for it. The way he botched the shooting of it is also the most painful scene in the book for me. Yeah, I’m one of those people who can read about or watch a thousand people getting brutally murdered without batting an eye, but even fictional cruelty to animals makes me sick. (hide spoiler)]
Hank and his brother Jake grew up in a abnormal household. While they always looked out for each other, their father expectations were different from their own. Two options: Go to school or take care of the farm that he owned, Hank being the responsible brother got an education and followed his father dreams. However his overweight brother did not do any of the two, but preferred to live a solitary life with no dreams or hope to become a better man. Teased often about his appearance, he battle self acceptance and insecurity among his peers and friends. Hank tried to look out for him when times got rough, but soon rejected the thought of protecting him causing a wedge between their relationship. An ideal family was never in the cards for them after both of their parents deceased but they still managed to remain amiable towards each other. Little do they know they will have to make a decision that will ultimately change their life.When Hank, Jake and a friend come across four million dollars, they are perplexed. Do they do the noble thing an return the money or do they split in to spend on a lavish lifestyle? Hank wants to do the right thing but he is convinced that no one will search for the money. Jake not having much to live with to begin with wants to spend the money and his best friend Lou happens to agree with him. They all agree to a simple plan that will blow up in their face when greed gets the best of all of them. Additionally Hank breaks the vow to not tell anyone about the money when he confides in a unlikely person, Jake begs him for his half and Lou will jeopardize his friendship if he was a few dollars richer.Three men with four million dollars, what would you do? This is a poignant, heartbreaking and unforgettable story about love and greed.The one thing that impressed me the most about the novel was the characterization. Jacob was a character that I can identify with the most. He was such a sensitive man that was so scarred from his insecurities that you could not help but support him to prevail in the end. Hank had good intentions but felt that he was haughty in most ways. Lou was a likable character but flawed nonetheless,he just wanted what was rightfully his.Amazing and touching story, looking forward to reading more novels by Smith!
What do You think about A Simple Plan (2006)?
I absolutely loved this book. Starts of with bunch of guys finding a plane that went down with a pilot dead and crapload of money just sitting there for the taking. From then on, every decision they made hit them hard where it really hurts. Some have good intentions, some have questionable intentions, but all seem to suffer due to a series of events that seem to get progressively worse as the story goes on. Right around the mid point, there was one series of events that was really hard for me to digest. Without spoiling anything, the characters get into an argument over the money, who will spend it and how, escalating to one hell of a brawl. Then things settled down a bit for character, as well as me, to adjust to what actually took place. By the end, I did not think anything would surprise me. There was a pretty big revelation at the end that made me question the events and the actions that took place but overall it was a really well thought out book. The characters are likable, relateable, and overall smart in making their decisions. I think Scott Smith did a fantastic job with this book. There was almost no loose ends that were not tied at the end (you can find a lot if you sit there and think hard), but at least it did not leave you there scratching your head and trying to figure out what happened to the rest of the supporting characters.
—Rade
This book was probably THE most painful reading experience I have ever had. I actually finished it - more because of my own stubbornness than anything. I guess I would have to liken it to the first few weeks of American Idol where the whole point is to show you the people that are really bad. I am just too sensitive for that - I feel the pain and embarrasment they should be feeling but in some cases don't. In the case of this book the pure idiocy that these characters go through after finding this money pains me in the same way. The fact that this was made into a movie (and not a comedy) baffles me. I read this book several years ago and it still haunts me as the worst book I have ever read. That coming from someone that can generally find entertainment value in most stories/forms of media.
—Trudy
This is one of the best books I've ever read. I couldn't put it down!! It reminded me so much of the popular TV series, Breaking Bad. The main characters just keep digging themselves deeper and deeper. I could almost understand how they'd justify the decisions they made along the way, even though I could predict how they might backfire. Let me be clear, this doesn't mean that the book is predictable because it isn't at all. I just mean that with every crossroads they were presented, I could see the proverbial angel on one shoulder, devil on the other, both playing out the what-if's. I will definitely read this book again, even though I am not typically a re-reader. This one is an exception to that rule!
—Kristan Braziel
