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Entitlement

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Entitlement

By: Rumaan Alam
Narrated by: Nicole Lewis
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents Entitlement by Rumaan Alam, read by Nicole Lewis

From the bestselling author of Leave the World Behind – ‘the book of an era’ (Independent) – a biting tale for our new gilded age

‘A slow-burn tale of connivance and deceit with a knockout ending’ OBSERVER

Money talks. But what if it lies?

An ambitious young Black woman, plotting her way into the world of the one percent. An old white billionaire, facing his own extinction.

He’s attracted to her intelligence, her refusal to be deferential, maybe also her Blackness. She’s drawn to his power and money – and his apparent willingness to share both with her.

But how far is each prepared to go to get what they think they deserve?

©2024 Rumaan Alam (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Suspense Thriller & Suspense Money

Critic reviews

These characters, their money and their morality come together in an absolutely devastating thunderclap (Kiley Reid, Sunday Times bestselling author of Such a Fun Age)
Entitlement is needle-sharp: discomfiting, disquieting, mesmerising. Alam taps deep into the greed and ambition that make us human, and that make us miserable’ (Rebecca Makkai, author of THE GREAT BELIEVERS)
A quick-witted, daring, beautifully composed novel – deeply knowing and full of wonder (Susie Boyt)
Rumaan Alam’s writing is vivid and gorgeous. This is a book that I loved, in part because it feels forbidden, centring on that taboo subject which is ‘other people’s money’. Peeking in on the lifestyles of the uber wealthy is a favourite pastime of mine and here Rumaan Alam offers that up in droves but not only that, the chance to peek into their souls … Alam is expert at subtly detailing Brooke’s sometimes loneliness as she exercises social mobility, a longing for a sense of self-hood and identity that perhaps is the secret fuel that propels her ambition. I cannot recommend this book enough, I truly devoured it and enjoyed every second (Celine Saintclare, author of SUGAR, BABY)
Should come with an undertow warning ... I was pulled under. Rumaan Alam has mastered that eerie moment when an ordinary gesture has the potential for disaster (Louise Erdrich, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Night Watchman)
Held me spellbound from its evocative opening to its startling, audacious last pages (Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia)
Reading Entitlement felt like having a vise slowly tightened around my heart ... Elegant, precise and devastating (Charles Yu, National Book Award-winning author of Interior Chinatown)
All stars
Most relevant
That I could not empathise with any of the characters, if that was the point. Well done.

That I could not empathise with any of the characters, if that was the point. Well done.

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I had high hopes for this having enjoyed the author’s previous book Leave the World Behind. And the theme of the novel has great potential, an exploration of wealth in 21st century Manhattan. The trouble is, it reads more like an earnest polemic than a story. Hardly anything happens and by the time we reach the final denouement, I was struggling to care about any of the characters. It is beautifully read though.

Disappointing

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I am a huge fan of the author. I thought his last book was an absolute revelation. This, on the other hand, feels so much less substantial. Only in the last quarter does it come anywhere near to the blistering social commentary that ‘leave the world behind’ thrummed with. In fact, great swaths of the book read like a Kylie Reid novel. an author I also adore, but one who is able to find much more layered meanings in the ephemeral. She is also a lot funnier and more adapt at telling the stories of young black women. On the whole it feels like a missed opportunity.

All the looks none of the feels

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Deeply implausible set up, deeply unlikeable characters, barely anything happens - this was a strain to sit through. Kept wanting to stop listening - pushed through in the hope it had something more to say or somewhere to go but didn’t get better. Save yourself!

Did not enjoy

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As ever, his well observed nuances of the frailty of sophisticated life in America are brought to full effect in this latest story.

The premise

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