Synopses & Reviews
The panoramic new novel by the writer proclaimed by the
New Yorker as "savvy,"
People as "hilarious," and the
Los Angeles Times as "almost irresponsibly intoxicating."
City restaurant is the hottest spot in Manhattan, the place where power meets ambition in an atmosphere rich with libidinous promise. Actors, agents, politicians, athletes, and Wall Street honchos jam the restaurant nightly, dealing, being seen, and, often, making their way into the next day's headlines.
At the center of it all is City's most dedicated patron, Kyle Clayton. Kyle once wrote a novel that defined a generation, then parlayed that success into a decade of well-reported debauchery. Now he has shocked the literary world by falling in love with a Muslim woman and, more shocking still, converting to Islam. The idea of Kyle abstaining from any pleasure is a solar-plexus blow to New York nightlife.
But abstention and New York are words that were never meant to be in the same sentence. Before Gotham Tragic is over, Clayton's new marriage unravels; the super-rich owner of City rides his success to a higher plane of hubris and faces the risk of incarceration; a waitress who graced one of Kyle's wilder nights returns to haunt his days; a Muslim doorman contemplates carrying out a fatwa against Kyle, who has betrayed his new faith in an irreverent short story; and everyone comes together at the New Year's Eve party of the century at City, of course in a frenzy of criminal indictments, misplaced emotions, lechery, squandered wealth, and recognition that sometimes love is worth sacrifice.
Buoyantly comic and brilliantly plotted, Gotham Tragic is a story of couplehood, of the collision between East and West, and of the high price of arrogance. It is a pitch-perfect send-up of the money and celebrity culture, not a black comedy so much as a red, white, and blue one, and the next step forward for a writer whose gifts are as impressive as the Manhattan skyline.
Review
"By the time it all comes to its explosive if somewhat hollow finish...Wenzel has probably bitten off more than he can chew....Still: Perceptive and close to brilliant, when it's not trying too hard to be funny." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"[An] absorbing, perceptive tale....It's an exhilarating mix, skillfully presented." Brendan Driscoll, Booklist
Review
"This zesty milieu gives Wenzel wide scope in sending up many of the pop icons of 1999. He has a terrific ear for provocative dialog but also gives raucous voice to unsettling themes of anger, betrayal, and frustration." Library Journal
Synopsis
Brilliantly plotted, Gotham Tragic is a pitch-perfect send-up of money and celebrity culture. It's not a black comedy so much as a red, white, and blue one, and the next big step forward for a writer whose gifts are as impressive as the Manhattan skyline.
About the Author
Kurt Wenzel is the author of Lit Life and a contributing editor at Privymagazine.com. He and his wife live in New York City and East Hampton, New York.