Super Short Summary

In Jess Walter's The Financial Lives of the Poets, recently laid-off financial journalist Matt Prior struggles with severe financial issues, secrecy about his deteriorating situation with his wife, and caring for his father with dementia. Meeting teenage stoners at a store, Matt turns to drug dealing to resolve his problems, but his plans backfire, leading him to become a police informant. Through multiple failed schemes and deteriorating personal relationships, Matt ultimately faces the consequences of his actions and begins to rebuild his life. The novel addresses sensitive topics such as financial hardship, substance use, infidelity, and mental health struggles.