I read this on the recommendation of Matt Levine. He's mentioned it a few times. The concept is very alluring: a series of anonymous interviews with a hedge fund manager that start on the cusp of the 2008 financial crisis and end right after it. The hedge fund manager (referred to as HFM in the book) is witty and super sharp. Chapters start with some numbers from the economy at that point - how many houses had been foreclosed on, how many billions of dollars had been lost or bailed out - and then proceed to a long interview format. It works well because HFM and the interview are both great to read.
I really enjoyed it. It was interesting to read the foreword, in which the author is self-deprecating about his lack of financial knowledge, and then to skim the author's interview with Paris Review in 2010. His interview with the Paris Review has a more strident oppositional tone. He describes the job of many on Wall Street as being to "trick people out of their money." That interview shows a real revulsion and dislike of the financial sector overall. I found that surprising: I didn't get that impression from this book, instead it's more about how financial complexity and leverage were dangerous forces. It's not a book about some boiler-room brokers tricking people into buying penny stocks. Obviously though, the financial sector failed and created a disaster for millions of people.
But that I could have a different impression than the author himself is to his credit: this is a book that lets you form your own opinions.
I enjoyed it! It's a lot of interview, and honestly it did take me a long time to finish because while it's nicely episodic and easy to read in short bursts, there's very little to propel you from one chapter to the next. I learned some fun and unfun facts about finance and the big financial crisis.