Very Recent History by Choire Sicha is an idiosyncratic and elegant narrative that follows a handful of young men in New York City as they navigate the ruins of money and power—in search of love and connection.

After the Wall Street crash of 2008, the richest man in town is the mayor. Billionaires shed apartments like last season’s fashions, even as the country’s economy turns inside out. The young and careless go on as they always have, getting laid and getting laid off, falling in and out of love, and trying to navigate the strange world they traffic in: the Internet, complex financial markets, credit cards, pop stars, micro-plane cheese graters, and sex apps.

A true-life fable of money, sex, and politics, Choire Sicha’s Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City turns our focus to a year in the life of a great city.

This is that year, seen through the eyes of those who lived it.

The 2008 Financial Crisis: A street-level view of the aftermath, where the mayor is the richest man in town and getting laid off is as common as getting laid.
A New York Story: Follow a circle of friends—John, Chad, Diego, and more—as they navigate a city where billionaires shed apartments like fashion and the future feels deeply uncertain.
The Millennial Experience: An unflinching look at a generation defined by student debt, precarious jobs, and the strange new worlds of the Internet, sex apps, and social media.
LGBTQ+ Nonfiction: A deeply personal account of gay life in the late 2000s, exploring the bonds of friendship and love in a world of disappearing certainties.