Confidence: A Novel

Written by Rafael Frumkin

Narrated by Em Grosland

One of The Washington Post’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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Mar 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781797152974

Rafael Frumkin

Rafael Frumkin is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Medill School of Journalism. His first novel, The Comedown, was published by Henry Holt in 2018, and his second novel, Confidence, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2023. He lives with his partner, two cats, and one dog in Carbondale, Illinois, where he is an assistant professor of creative writing at Southern Illinois University.

Reviews for Confidence

[Ivan Milchin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not in the same league as Bad Blood, Billion Dollar Whale, or similar scam literature, but a good listen nonetheless

[Bibi Moosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really fun to listen to. It was almost upsetting to see the main character self destruct but it was overall satisfying.

[mark · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I love stories about Con men and sometimes I find myself rooting for them!. But I just kept waiting for some interesting turn or surprising twist. Instead, it just sort of stumbled along till the end and I realized, I really didn’t care much how it turned out.

[thomas cooney · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Narrator was very annoying when doing accents and inflections. Lots of cliche in the writing. Three times within 30 pages a character has a smile in their voice.