Book Review: ‘Drayton and Mackenzie,’ by Alexander Starritt

Article excerpt

Alexander Starritt's debut novel "Drayton and Mackenzie" follows two recent graduates who devise a scheme to alter their fortunes during the 2008 financial crisis. The book uses the backdrop of economic collapse to explore ambition, friendship, and moral compromise among young professionals scrambling to establish themselves. Set against the wreckage of the banking system's implosion, Starritt traces how his protagonists navigate between opportunity and desperation, their personal calculations intersecting with broader questions about complicity and survival in a rigged system. The novel examines whether two outsiders can game a broken game or whether the crisis reveals limits to individual agency.