Ways and Means by Daniel Lefferts is a simmering debut novel that interweaves the worlds of finance and contemporary art with themes of ambition, class, and personal relationships. This slow-burn is thought-provoking and immersive, rewarding readers with a rich exploration of human complexity.

Lefferts' writing is sharp and intelligent, but it carries an overly lofty air of sophistication that I initially found a bit off-putting. This quality, however, ultimately complements the novel's incisive critique of two high-stakes, often inaccessible worlds. The characters—as morally gray as they are deeply compelling—are where the story truly shines. Whether you love or loathe them, each character feels purposeful, contributing to a narrative that is as much about personal redemption as it is about the broader socio-economic forces shaping their lives.

What impressed me most was the novel's balance between the worlds of finance and art—two realms I might not typically associate—but here, they collide spectacularly. Even with little interest in finance, I was captivated by its connections to the art world, which Lefferts renders with sharp satire and genuine reverence.

Beneath its examination of wealth and ambition lies a deeper story about generational trauma and the search for redemption, which adds a layer of emotional resonance to an otherwise cerebral plot. The pacing is deliberate, allowing the tension to build steadily. While it might test some readers' patience, those who stick with it will find the payoff worthwhile.

Ways and Means is an impressive debut that skewers two elite worlds while offering a heartfelt exploration of flawed humanity. Lefferts is undoubtedly a gifted writer, and I look forward to seeing what he produces next. This book is for readers who enjoy complex characters, sharp social commentary, and stories that linger in your thoughts long after the final page.

Alistair McCabe is pursuing a degree in New York to be followed by a career in finance in the hopes of a better life for himself and his mother.

Despite his plans, in 2016 Alistair finds himself deep in debt with no finance job offers. He meets a couple at a bar one night, Mark and Elijah, and begins hooking up with them. Mark and Elijah haven’t had to become adults in the traditional sense, but things are starting to catch up with them now.

Through the couple’s contacts, Alistair accepts a vague job working for a wealthy man. Alistair is chastised for questioning things related to the company’s operations but when he realizes the nature of the actual work, he’s in too far to escape unnoticed, setting off a dangerous chain of events impacting several people.

Ways and Means is a slow burn story exploring ambition, art, class, money, politics, and relationships. The writing was smart though it felt slightly pretentious at times, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment of this story. I appreciated the imperfections of the characters, some more likable than others, yet all with a purpose. This was a great and interesting debut.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing this ARC for feedback.

Wow! what an incredible piece of fiction. I'm truly impressed by any author who can make me care at all, or frankly pay attention, during discussions of finance, but the story really blooms and becomes more relatable than I had imagined it could be after reading the premise. Though this book is a bit of a slow burn in my opinion, the characters and plot are both well-established and you genuinely want to learn more about what is going on. Tying the worlds of finance, which I don't enjoy, to the world of art, which I love, proved to be an excellent decision. Mr. Lefferts is a gifted writer and I look forward to reading more of their work in the future.

This novel started off very strong. I enjoyed the writing and the character building early on. It got off with a bang. Unfortunately, the narrative began to drag out and by about a third of the way in, I just gave up on this one. Much more frenetic than A Little Life, but some of the same vibes.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this novel was incredible! The characters are extremely fleshed out and the plot is great. It's a bit of a slow burn but I was hooked. I will say that Lefferts should perhaps lay off the thesaurus, especially in the earlier sections of the book. At times it sounded like the narrators were Moira Rose themselves, of Schitts Creek. Otherwise this was an incredibly enjoyable novel and I'm looking forward to future works from Dnaiel Lefferts!

With its cast of morally grey but profoundly likeable characters, this book skewers the worlds of finance and high-profile contemporary art while addressing themes of generational trauma and redemption.
Full review on BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr303936

A thoughtful look at race, class, ambition all wrapped into Alasdair, who has high hopes but finds himself under water and over his head. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

I really enjoyed this story. It was really well written with strong characters and a plot that kept me intrigued and guessing. It was maybe a bit long, with Part 2 dragging a bit as we caught up to where the story was taking place, but I didn't feel bored at any point. As a queer man in my 20s, I felt a lot of the themes were super relatable and the characters voiced thoughts I have felt. I would definitely reccomend this and will buy a copy when it's out.

this one was a great litfic. the one downside was how at times it seemed a little too disparate, although byt he end it wove back together beautifully. thanks for the ARC.

An interesting story with a somehow both lyrical and blunt writing style. I think I wanted this to be grander than it was, but I found myself losing focus and enjoyment early on, mainly because of the contrived, convoluted nature of the plot. Feels a bit like a tonal response to A Little Life, and I do really appreciate that. I think people who wanted more from A Little Life than just torture porn, and instead wanted an in depth consideration of the lives of these four individuals, they'd enjoy this a lot.

Special thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book, the descriptions were beautiful and I appreciate the effort that was put into creating the book's characters. I wish that the plot had been more cohesive throughout the story and that the pacing had been more consistent. At times this book really felt as if it was lagging.

A deeply American book, Ways and Means elegantly weaves a tale of the stress and paranoia that comes along with trying to pull oneself up by the gay finance bro bootstraps in a class-obsessed society that does its best to pretend class isn't looming over most interactions. The nonchalance of the born rich is well captured, as is the desperation of trying to keep up for those aren't. It thoughtfully covers (and occasionally skewers) everything from throuple dynamics, rich gays, capitalism, and ambition masked as greed and vice versa. Plot-wise, it may take a moment to hook you but the slow build (and familial context backstory as means of better understanding the characters) to the convergence of multiple storylines into a riveting and fraught second half makes it worth the wait. It would be an excellent adaptation for a film or a series. A great debut.

I have a harder time reviewing books that I love, and I’m left without a lot to say about this other than that I didn’t want to stop reading. There was definitely a bit of overworking—sometimes feeling like the thesaurus was combed for every paragraph. But because so many of the characters had a bit of pretension mixed in with self-loathing, it didn’t bother me the way it would in other works.

Thank you to Overlook Press & NegGalley for the ARC

Thanks very much to NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel.

I wanted to like it. I wanted to like it a lot. I loved the idea of the LGBTQIA representation in this novel, but in a way that wasn't simply a "gay" novel. Love that it is literary fiction with LGBTQIA characters and themes, but meant for a larger audience. Unfortunately, though, I feel like it's simply about 40% too long. My goodness, the first third of the book felt impossible, I simply was ready for something to move forward, but chapter after chapter of back story, build up, description, family history, etc. etc., before moving the plot forward, was simply too much for me. So much felt like it could have been weaved in within the plot, not simply standalone chapter after standalone chapter. In may ways, it felt like a number of short stories pushed together, and then a longer story trying to weave it all together, but at the point that I had largely lost interest.

That being said, the writing demonstrates great talent with words. There is a great book here, and I expect one from this author, but this just didn't make the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Abrams Books for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

”As long as money remained the currency of human relations, and as long as it was able to pool in few hands and drain from many others, it would always implicate anyone who touched it in its cruelty.”

How on earth is this a debut novel? I found that Daniel Lefferts writes with a blistering erudition attributed to the most seasoned of authors. I absolutely loved this book! With his surprisingly witty commentary on capitalistic America, gay characters who had tangible depth, and dry (yet also laugh-out-loud) humor— Lefferts kept me hooked and gasping for the next page.

The halfway point in this book is where things really start to intensify. Eyes glued to the pages, jaw open and practically dragging on the floor, I needed to know what happens next. Ways and Means may start off a bit slow, but it snowballs into a clusterf*ck of political and economic derangement.

Lefferts manages to bring a magnifying lens to a variety of topics— socioeconomic status, class, radical politics, power, sex, queer love, art— and magnifies them tenfold so you’re able to discern every dark and dirty detail about them.

“Add up everything you’re willing to give, subtract what you might get back, and whatever’s left over is the measure of your soul.”

At its core, Ways and Means is expertly crafted and has unsurprisingly wormed its way onto my “Favorites” shelf. When physical copies are available, you can guarantee I will be purchasing one, perhaps even two so I can eagerly gift it to my friends or family! I will reread this.

A highly entertaining yarn about a smalltown gay bro getting in way over his head in the big city, Daniel Leffert's Ways and Means balances its threads of greed, exploitation, gay desire, sexual decadence, artistic identity, fascism, capitalism, throuple dynamics, top/bottom psychology, class differences... all in such a thoughtful and casually cohesive manner, it's hard to believe this is his first book. The main plot takes its time to get going, but that's fine - Lefferts offers fascinating and relatable characters and dives deep into their family background to help us understand their motives and ambitions (or lack thereof), and how they relate to this spicy, provocative story that could only happen in the States. When the multiple storylines converge in the second half, it becomes nearly impossible to put down, and has quite an explosive and cinematic ending. I loved this and hope it finds a big audience and gets adapted into a feature film.

This book is amazing on so many levels. The story, the characters, the setting, the voices, the specifics. An outrageous story that seems perfectly plausible. I can't wait to read it again.