"The world that Gideon inhabits in Joe Peterson's Gideon's Confession is never less than recognizably real. That attractive realism might at first seem to make a fantastical book like Steppenwolf an odd comparison, but like Hesse, Peterson traces the journey through that potentially lethal combination of the self-doubt and towering self-absorption of youth, and as in Steppenwolf the escape is into love. Frankly, of the two, it is Peterson's ending I prefer." - Stuart Dybek, author of The Coast of Chicago "Peterson knows his characters inside and out and because of that the reader becomes equally intimate with them. Gideon's Confession brings shades of Salinger, Nick Hornby, and Michael Chabon together in one powerful read." - Ryan W. Bradley, author of Code for Failure "Joe Peterson's Gideon is a rollicking antihero who moves through these pages as he does through his rich uncle's checks: quickly and lyrically. Gideon shops, drinks, and gobbles the money away, observing the world from its periphery until the checks stop arriving, the engine of his romance revs dangerously, and he is forced to make an active choice about how to live and love. Peterson's stylish, clean prose is a pleasure, and watching Gideon come of age, albeit a bit late? Absolutely delightful." - Rachel DeWoskin, author of Foreign Babes in Beijing, Repeat After Me, and Big Girl Small "Gideon's Confession is about a dead-end narrowly averted by the kindness and foresight if others. About what those who care about us see that we don't see in ourselves. About a way out when we think there isn't one. About deserving love when we don't believe ourselves deserving." - Dmitry Samarov, author of Hack