Good Rich People: Book Review

My Review

To say Good Rich People is a mind game would be an understatement. Just when I thought I’d figured it out, Eliza Jane Brazier pulled the rug out from under me—again. This book is twisted, dark, and so wickedly clever, I couldn’t look away. Brazier masterfully uses the stark contrast between poverty and wealth as a backdrop for a psychological thriller that feels more like a social experiment in moral decay. I didn’t know I could love something so sick. What does that say about me?

Sadistic, pathological, and gleefully depraved—these characters are the definition of “unlikable,” and that’s exactly what makes them so compelling. At first, Demi seems like the only one with a shred of humanity, but even those hopes quickly crumble. Still, I found myself picking sides, rooting for favorites, and fully embracing the schadenfreude. You may not connect emotionally with any of the characters—but you won’t stop reading about them either.

One of the standout elements for me was the vivid and all-too-real depiction of Los Angeles. I recognized the underpasses, the Hills, the tension between the lives of those looking up at the mansions and those looking down from them. Wealth here is worn like a badge of honor, paraded around for all to see. Just last week, I saw a Rolls-Royce Phantom parked outside a local burger joint—because apparently even the ultra-rich need fries with their opulence. Brazier captures that reality with chilling accuracy.

That unsettling proximity of wealth and poverty—side by side but worlds apart—is cognitive dissonance in action. It’s also central to the novel’s emotional impact. As a former social worker in L.A., I can say that Brazier's portrayal of both privilege and desperation is painfully accurate. Every so often, she lands a gut punch of truth about life on the margins that feels startlingly real. This book doesn't just entertain—it unsettles, and that’s where its brilliance lies.

Technically, the novel is also impressive. The dual POVs and timeline shifts are executed with precision, and I never felt lost. If anything, I was craving more of each perspective with every switch—a true mark of a skilled storyteller. The short chapters keep the pace sharp, the dialogue crackles with biting wit, and the internal monologues are some of the most scathingly funny commentary I’ve read in a thriller.

In short, Good Rich People is a compulsive, cleverly crafted novel that will mess with your head and leave you questioning your own morality. It’s vicious, smart, and just the right kind of wrong.