Reviews

Arguably this book deserves one star. First, there is a premise, and a plot, but basically no resolution. And the denouement is remarkably rushed --until you think back and realize that is likely because the author had no idea how to explain the many inconsistent earlier plot points. Second, there is the narrator, a remarkably shallow and obnoxious young man whose only apparent gift is lying. Third, there is the book's obsession with surface -- looks, cars, office size, house decor, etc, as if these things really have any depth or intrinsic meaning. And one upmanship, comparing belongings as if proxies for worth. Fourth, there is the sloppy writing -- people are "the guy" and clichés abound and very little that isn't a brand name has a denotation -- it's all "stuff" and "such" as if actually saying what the author is referring to is too much work. Fifth, this book is obliviously sexist and racist. The author actually talks about "bodacious tatas" and every woman character with any power gets it via seductive techniques. The only Latinos are food servers and the only African American is a home care provider with a prison background. The author seems unconscious of the existence of LGBTQ people at all. Worst of all is the story's moral, which I guess is that ruthless greedy liars win everything and control everything. And the book's own morality, which is that lying and stealing and betrayal are fine unless it happens to you.

Long story short, give this book a wide berth. Now I see why the movie, which I hope never to see, got 6% favorable ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.

samcastro's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Utterly forgettable. I'd genuinely forgotten I'd read it. Then I reread it and it was actually worse the second time. Feels like it was written by a teenage boy in the 80's with vaguely homophobic and sexist dialog in a couple of places. I finished reading it both times. If it were a tv show, it's something you'd have on as background noise and mostly ignore it. Like most people whose skills get better over time, I imagine there are parts of the book where the author looks back and cringes a bit.

TLDR
He wrote a book, bless his heart.

bxermom's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I almost put this book down to finish later, but something made me pick it back up and I'm so glad I did. It was an excellent book. I love the way it was written. Adam was a character that you could connect with--caught doing something good for someone but doing it the wrong way and getting in trouble for it. I loved the way he grew into a responsible caring individual who had the desire to do the right thing. I was very surprised by the ending but was happy with it.

bridgey_bear's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Not really the kind of book I'm usually into, but I liked it. It was hard to stop reading.

markj71's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I am not a fan of corporate espionage books but Paranoia was a fantastic read. I highly recommend if you like thrillers at all.

lisagray68's review

Go to review page

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

More...