The Hermit

The Hermit is a riveting debut novel about the slow unraveling of an aging finance bro—a successful New York bond trader and man about town—who grows disenchanted with his daily hustle and is forced to confront the nameless discontent that haunts the Masters of the Universe.

The Hermit explores the world of high-stakes investment banking with a sharp eye for the existential ramifications of this calling. The plot follows the daily routine of Andy Sylvain, a 50-year-old Manhattan bond trader who grows disenchanted with his daily hustle and starts to contemplate a clean break. He’s a Master of the Universe whose thoughts and inner rationales betray a lost and confused man who cannot even describe what ails him, much less outline a cure for his malaise. Written in a breezy style, the novel’s levity is deceptive: underneath sparkling descriptions of conspicuous consumption, glitzy parties, and the intricacies of trading-floor battles, the reader will find layered meditations on the poignant conflict between the allure of a rational, technocratic world and the promise of serenity that beckons to Andy from the depth of the forested wilderness.