A short very well written satire about a young man's depression after his wife leaves him. There is an elegant twist at the end in which the real reason for his depression is explained.
Usually I wouldn't finish a book like this one but because this one was so well written it kept me hooked until the end.

Bret Easton Ellis mentions Jay a lot in his novel Lunar Park, and this intrigued me. I decided to search bookcrossing for his works and thankfully Pikkewyn agreed to send me Big Lights, Big City. Thanks a lot Pikkewyn :-)

Having explained that Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide is a bit much for me in my currently hectic life, I’ve decided to try something fast paced to satisfy my need to read and thought that Jay McInerney’s Big Lights, Big City would be the perfect choice. I started reading it last night and I found it much easier to read and instantly contagious!

I finished reading “Bright Lights, Big City” last night and must say I was amazed - it’s a fast paced novel, easy to read and very engaging from the beginning. A tragic story of a young mans life going from bad to worse after the break up of his marriage to a catwalk model. The women, his work, the coke and the alcohol binges… the struggle with everyday life… plus there’s a twist (don’t read any reviews about this before reading the novel or it’ll give it away!!!!).

I saw parts of myself in the protagonist life and this helped with the whole experience of the novel. A truly great read, a great first novel, after this I’ll be scouring the bookshelves for more Jay McInerney…

EDIT: 11 September 2006 - will be sending to dodgygeezah in Bristol this week, enjoy.

Sent to me by Stubee. Thanks and best wishes. Then bookcrossed again on 30/09/06. Left on a post box on Fishponds Road, Bristol. Paul.