by David Mamet
First published 1983
Shelley Levene arrives at the office knowing his job hangs by a thread. The veteran real estate salesman faces the same brutal reality as his colleagues: sell worthless Florida swampland to unwilling customers or lose everything. The sales board tracks every deal, separating winners from losers with cold precision. Ricky Roma works his charm on desperate marks while Dave Moss plots to steal the premium leads that could save them all. These men peddle dreams of land ownership to people who cannot afford their schemes, yet they themselves chase the same hollow promises. Each phone call becomes a battle, each pitch a desperate gamble. The office transforms into a battlefield where friendship dissolves under financial pressure and moral boundaries disappear. Levene watches younger salesmen surge ahead while his own career crumbles. The competition strips away dignity and reveals the savage desperation beneath their cheap suits. Mamet captures men who have built their lives on deception, only to find themselves trapped by the very lies they sell.
Genres: drama, american-fiction, 20th-century, business
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, moral-ambiguity
Period: 20th-century
73 pages · Paperback · Samuel French, Inc.
Content warnings: violence