Staff Pick
An immersive literary work and rare example of a novel written in the second-person point of view. McInerney narrates your story as you're gallivanting through New York City in the 1980s, staying up way too late, making questionable decisions with questionable people, sabotaging your work life, running away from your past and yourself, and basically just recklessly careening through your post-college existence. This is a fun yet thought-provoking novel you will absolutely devour, with an ending you'll likely want to reread due to its sheer brilliance. Easily in my top 10 favorite novels of all time. Recommended By Nicholas Y., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
With the publication of Bright Lights, Big City in 1984, Jay McInerney became a literary sensation, heralded as the voice of a generation. The novel follows a young man, living in Manhattan as if he owned it, through nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties as he attempts to outstrip mortality and the recurring approach of dawn. With nothing but goodwill, controlled substances, and wit to sustain him in this anti-quest, he runs until he reaches his reckoning point, where he is forced to acknowledge loss and, possibly, to rediscover his better instincts. This remarkable novel of youth and New York remains one of the most beloved, imitated, and iconic novels in America.
Synopsis
The tragicomedy of a young man in NYC, struggling with the reality of his mother's death, alienation and the seductive pull of drugs.