ost's 50 Best Works of Fiction of 2023
A
New York Times Editors' Choice
One of
Them's Best Books of 2023
One of
Crimereads Best Crime Novels of 2023
"Theranos but make it gay." --Electric Literature Best friends (and occasional lovers) Ezra and Orson are teetering on top of the world after founding a company that promises instant enlightenment in this "propulsive, cheeky, eat-the-rich page-turner" (The Washington Post) about scams, schemes, and the absurdity of the American Dream. At seventeen, Ezra Green doesn't have a lot going on for him: he's shorter than average, snaggle-toothed, internet-addicted, and halfway to being legally blind. He's also on his way to Last Chance Camp, the final stop before juvie.
But Ezra's summer at Last Chance turns life-changing when he meets Orson, brilliant and Adonis-like with a mind for hustling. Together, the two embark upon what promises to be a fruitful career of scam artistry. But things start to spin wildly out of control when they try to pull off their biggest scam yet--Nulife, a corporation that promises its consumers a lifetime of bliss.
"Propulsive" (
The New York Times Book Review) and "laugh-out-loud funny" (
BuzzFeed), with the suspense of
The Talented Mr. Ripley, the decadence of
The Great Gatsby, and the wit of
Succession,
Confidence is a story for anyone who knows that the American Dream is just another pyramid scheme.