An engaging look at Wall Street
IN the cut-throat world of Wall Street, where money is king and power an aphrodisiac, most menial workers barely merit a second glance.But one shoeshine boy uses guile and street smarts to endear himself to powerful and ruthless traders. In doing so, he gains their trust, and at one point ends up overhearing an argument about questionable trading practices.
What Aguilar Benicio — Gil — overhears could take down a CEO. But would Gil be safe if he ever revealed the story?
Confessions<$>, the debut novel of Doug Stumpf (pictd)<$>, is written largely from Gil’s point of view. The Brazilian shoeshine boy’s accounts are written in the style of one whose grasp of English as a second language is nearly complete. The minor grammatical errors sprinkled throughout his narrative might slow down a reader at first, but eventually one learns to overlook them.
The other narrator is Greg Waggoner, a reporter for a glossy magazine (named, appropriately enough, ssy<$>). Waggoner has been struggling with the transition from MBA to newspaper reporter to magazine writer, and he’s dying for a good whistle-blower story.
In Gil, he just might have found one.
Gil uncovers suspicious behaviour after a janitor friend is fired from the trading firm where they work. Greg investigates, but the powers that be won’t let their story be told that easily.
Stumpf is a deputy editor at Vanity Fair. He reveals a flair for character development in Gil, Greg and the army of amoral traders whose shoes Gil shines.
But sometimes the extra detail, as engaging as it may be, distracts from the main story line. Stumpf occasionally takes the reader on interesting but circuitous tangents about Gil’s early years in Brazil or his nights of debauchery in New York. The tangents feel like having a movie climax interrupted by a commercial.
Still, Stumpf has clearly done his homework, as he treats the reader to an insightful look at multiple industries.
The trading firm is presented in a largely unflattering light —filled with cold-blooded selfishness, unhappy marriages and petty gossip. The traders make a lot of money during the week but the characters don’t inspire envy, as their home lives are shams.
Journalists fare only slightly ber: Glossy’s<$> stars are depicted as petty back-stabbers. But Greg’s interviewing techniques, as well as his behind-the-scenes grooming of sources, present an accurate view of how good journalists get the scoop.
Stumpf even dissects the science of shoe shining. He describes the challenge of matching colours precisely and the frustration of earning less than a $2 tip.
Overall, his debut effort certainly hits a high note. Confions <$>has an engaging story line that at times sizzles with action. And even when the scene inexplicably shifts to something slower and less relevant, at least Stumpf’s colourful details and anecdotes hold a reader’s attention until the action gets back on track.
