Leverage
A Novel
by Amran Gowani
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Pub Date Aug 19 2025 | Archive Date Sep 02 2025
Description
Ali “Al” Jafar is a rising star at notorious hedge fund Prism Capital, but fortunes change fast on Wall Street. When his biggest investment goes up in smoke, Al loses $300 million—and his fragile sense of self-worth—in a single afternoon. He’s certain he’ll be fired, but Prism’s obscenely rich and politically connected founder isn’t that merciful. Instead, he gives Al an impossible ultimatum: recover the lost money in three months or become the fall guy for the government’s insider-trading investigation into the firm.
Depressed and desperate, Al turns to high finance’s dark side, where he battles back-stabbing coworkers and cutthroat competitors and digs himself into an even deeper hole. As the clock winds down, and the pressure mounts, Al’s mental health deteriorates. To survive, he’ll have to outfox one of the world’s most powerful men and decide if he values the dearest asset of all: himself.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781668076422 |
| PRICE | $28.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1334686
“Leverage” by Amran Gowani is a fast-paced, thrilling novel about a hedge fund manager who must risk everything to save his life and reputation. The story follows Al, a Pakistani American working at Prism, a hedge fund in San Francisco. The toxicity of his working environment and co-workers is an understatement. After experiencing a significant financial loss, Al must devise a get-rich-quick scheme to avoid being blamed for insider trading.
This book explores themes of race, power, greed, and ambition while delving into betrayal, backstabbing, and deception. Fans of HBO's "Succession" and "Industry" will likely enjoy this gripping narrative. It is well-plotted and well-written, dark and funny.
In a time marked by extreme greed, exemplified by figures like Elon Musk and Luigi Mangione, this novel resonates with our current desire to examine insatiable greed and its consequences, as well as the need for justice.
I highly recommend this book, but I caution readers about its depiction of suicidal ideation. It’s a good idea to check content warnings before reading. I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC.
Carmen N, Bookseller
I haven't read very many books with a premise like this so needless to say I was so intrigued. It was definitely one where all the way through I was telling my friends when it comes out so they could buy a copy cause wow.
Blinn S, Librarian
Al, short for Ali, is an employee at a hedge fund, where a mistake he made has cost the company $300 million dollars. His boss offers Ali a deal: Earn the money back in three months and he won't be framed for insider trading. Gowani brings readers into the amoral world of Wall Street finance, and offers trenchant critiques of capitalism and structural injustice. The story is thrilling as Ali desperately tries to save his life, even though we don't really know whether to root for him given the shady tactics he is forced to employ. We do, though, since plenty of other characters are even worse. And though he is morally ambiguous, Ali offers a witty narration peppered with pop culture and sports references. An eye-opening book and a great read.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Vanessa Lillie; Layne Fargo; Cate Holahan; Kimberly Belle
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
