Brightness Falls -- what an appropriate title. How could McInerney have gone from Bright Lights, a narrative tour de force, to this sprawling, turgid mess? Occasional sharp turns of phrase remind us of what he can do, but they're lost among excruciating passages of (sometimes repetitive) exposition and a narrative voice that's often too distant and disengaged. That distance comes from ambition: McInerney has set up too many threads and doesn't have space to tie them all together convincingly.

Some people have called this McInerney's best. Perhaps it seemed that way when still fresh, and its satire still had bite. But 20 years later, I read passages and then think, "clearly, that was all very funny at the time." This novel hasn't aged well; it is too wrapped up in its own time and place.

Le cher Jay est moins jeune, moins idolatré. Il a des soucis de couple, comme tout le monde. C'est ce qui se passe après trente ans, à New York comme ailleurs.

McInerney's vision of the shallowness of success in Bright Lights, Big City inspired an entire corpus of yuppie philosophers intent on exposing the dark side of Reagan-era prosperity. Brightness Falls details the fulfillment of Bright Lights' prophecy.

Full review: http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/revi...

I struggled a bit through this one. Wish I could say I enjoyed it more. However, I still couldn't put it down. ( )