A bold retelling of the story of capitalism that treats the core concepts of economics as living, breathing beings, blending fiction and fact to upend 250 years of economic orthodoxy

For 250 years, a ghostly hand – bloodied and invisible – has scripted our lives. We call it economics. Telling its story like never before, Everyman makes this phantom force truly visible for the first time.

Framing the narrative of economics as a character-driven psychological drama, it personifies Economic Man as Neo, the textbook rational actor – with his apostles: Finn, the model ‘finance bro’, Davos, globalization’s ambassador, Wash, envoy to distant lands, and Tek, the quintessence of the tech industry. We trace their arc through the most significant moments of global economic history, from the birth of capitalism to the Great Depression, the Financial Crisis to the ascent of populism.

But with the by-the-book Gini and her sister, Palma, protesting against the system, Tek contemplating a coup, Ordinary Joe losing patience, and a runaway monster no longer able to cover its tracks, are they on the edge of a precipitous fall? As kaleidoscopic as global capitalism, Everyman blends fact and fiction, future and history, tragedy and comedy. It combines novelistic flair and cutting-edge research to offer a bold new vision, one built on emotion and social cooperation.

By replacing a strawman protagonist with flesh-and-blood, could we still avert tragedy and alter the plot of capitalism? And who, ultimately, is economics for?

© Antara Haldar 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026