Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Confidence by Rafael Frumkin

3 reviews

junowo's review against another edition

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dark funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is fun if you enjoy con jobs. Many have said it’s like a gay Theranos story—I would disagree. After the first half of the book, I’d say it’s closer to the NXIVM pyramid scheme, if a bit less incredibly dark.
Like others have said, I hate everyone in this book, but it was still compelling to read. I can’t say I loved the third act—the “off the rails” bits were more ridiculous than enjoyably crazy. Overall, though, it was a good read!
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renyoi's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to punch Ezra in the face for most of the second half of the book. He is so pathetic it makes it difficult to read. Becomes a little too wacky near the end for my taste. Interpersonal relationships were the highlight of the book and where the author excelled; I wish they had focused on that more than cultish corporate crimes. The first half of the book was a genuine delight. The rest has good moments, but can be a bit…difficult to get through. 
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thevioletfoxbookshop's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Have you ever wondered what the Wolf of Wall Street might be like if he were a gay millennial living in 2022? Rafael Frumkin has the answer in his new novel, Confidence.

At its core, Confidence is dark comedy, corporate satire, and a scathing take on American greed. The comparison to HBO's Succession is spot on! It's not uplifting exactly, and most of the characters are pretty unlikable. But somehow, through wit and a rollercoaster you have to ride to believe, you won't be able to put it down and might even find yourself rooting for the characters.

Major themes include the flawed system that is the American dream, how we can be willfully ignorant, and how we each have power over ourselves and others and how we choose to exercise that power, or not. Confidence also points out how so many of us are getting conned... whether it's miracles through faith, happiness through cutting edge technology, or even love. We convince ourselves to believe what we want to be true. Like Ezra, the narrator, we choose to remain blind for a lot of complicated reasons. Our human needs, like the the need to be seen, understood, loved, and to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, can lead us to do almost anything. The human spirit is fallible and we've created a world that thrives on taking advantage of that fallibility. Confidence asks whether its worse to choose to thrive in a broken system by clawing your way to the top or to suffer at the bottom. In the end, isn't everyone gaming the system to a degree? Even the author with this book? 

Confidence is a house of cards built on ambition, queer love, and satire. It's an incredibly well-written book, full of parallels that run deep, questions with no perfect answers, and complex characters. 

There are short cons, long cons, conspiracies, and of course, consequences. In the end, who's really getting scammed and who's at the top? It may not be who you think... 
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