Book discussion: Bright Lights, Big City

Cafe Society
1

Yes, I know it’s old. I’m slow. Sue me. :stuck_out_tongue:

The central conceit of the book, of course, is that it is happening to you, as it is told in the second person point of view. About halfway through is a discussion of point of view and how it relates to … what did he call it? … the ineffability of experience? … something like that. Anyway, it’s 182 pages of “don’t judge another man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes,” of course, and I found it a fun ride but ultimately a little weak. The usage of this point of view was excellent, and done so well that by a few pages in, it was completely transparent to me. (Complete aside: I’d like to see a murder mystery written in second person and in the end you find out that you did it!)

The mother issues really seemed to come out of nowhere, and not in a good way. The employment issues didn’t work for me at all, and the midnight adventure in the offices with Tad and vermin just seemed … pointless.

Besides which, the mid-80s thing combined with the cocaine and the sleep/memory problems gave me some trouble … I kept confusing the story with American Psycho. :slight_smile:

So anyway, if there’s anybody out there who remembers this book (I haven’t seen the movie, BTW, though I did refer to the linked page for some names) and would like to comment on it, go nuts.

Oh, if you don’t feel like you have anything else to add, I’ll offer up a question: Tad’s cousin or the girl from work?

(I’m not remembering names well today, I thought the girl from work’s name was Megan, but IMDb shows that character as being played by Swoozie Kurtz, so either I have her name misremembered, or they cast somebody much older than I was imagining in that role.)

2

Every so often, I read something that rings the bell in my head that says, “I can do better”. McInerney does that to me over and over again. Both Bright Lights, Big City and Story of My Life jump right to mind. I too liked the fresh POV angle to BLBC but that was about all. Ransom does it much better for me.

I have known Alagash in several friends.

Having said I can do better, I am trying. Not much luck/success yet, but I am trying.

3

Well, I watched the movie yesterday, and it actually helped a little bit.

I confess that in reading the book, I did not pick up as fully as I should have on the significance of the coma baby and various little things along the way that I remembered with the help of the film.

Also, upon seeing the way they handled the evening at Megan’s apartment, I can see why they chose such an older woman for the role; obviously she’s meant to be a mother figure on some level. Still, I did not get that from the book. I saw her as possibly even younger than the protagonist and definitely flirting with him.