bob@cadovax.UUCP (Bob "Kat" Kaplan) (04/24/85)
In the May edition of Mother Jones there's a column by a guy who says he was the model for one of the lesser characters in Jay McInerney's novel "Bright Lights, Big City." The guy (whose name I don't remember) was critical of the book, saying it espouses yuppie racist and homophobic values. The guy is so upset because the book is a best seller, ostensibly because yuppies are buying it to reaffirm their values. Well, I read the book a few months ago. I don't think it was a best seller then, and I'm surprised if it is now. It was an OK book, but it really wasn't much. I may or may not read anything else McInerney writes. I'll decide when he publishes another book. McInerney is a clever writer (witty, ascerbic, etc.) but that's not always enough. The point is, I think the guy who wrote the Mother Jones article is a bit wide of the mark. The book may espouse yuppie values (if such things actually exist), but the story's protagonist was certainly not shown in a very positive light. I mean, the book was about the downfall of a guy who spent all his time and money whiffing coke and drinking in sleazy bars. His wife left him, then he lost his job; he's basically a wreck: hardly the sort of role model for aspiring yuppies. I think the guy who wrote the article is just jealous of McInerney's success. -- Bob Kaplan "Our love burns like fire, then turns to ashes."