How It Ended

When the name "Jay McInerney" is mentioned during a book talk the first three three things that come to most minds are: "Novelist", "New York", and "The Eighties". McInerney's debut novel, "Bright Lights, Big City", was a critical and commercial success that encapsulated the atmosphere and social life of New York in the 1980's. The novel also created a lasting comparison to F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote a novel, "The Great Gatsby", that encapsulated the atmosphere and social life of New York in the 1920's. Fitzgerald was a great American novelist, and he also wrote dozens upon dozens of short stories, some of which are considered the best American examples of the form: "Babylon Revisited", "May Day", and "The Rich Boy" being a few examples. Enter again Jay McInerney. The novelist, it turns out, has slowly yet surely crafted a body of short stories, some of which should be considered the best American examples of the form. After I first encountered the early novels of McInerney, I eagerly sought out other work, and there were a few stories to be found in magazines such as Esquire and The New Yorker. Several of these pieces were preliminary sketches of his novels, and these are included here. McInerney has stated in interviews that after the publication of his latest novel, "The Good Life", he became energized by the thought of finally releasing a collection of short fiction to complement his novels and essays on wine. In "something of a sprint" of six months between the autumn of 2007 and the spring of 2008 he wrote a dozen new stories. Most of these sparkle with a combination of lyrical prose, even timing, and rich description. Themes of family life and the intricacies of multilateral romantic relationships predominate, yet all give glimpses into the human condition with honest emotion and pictorial clarity. There are 26 stories in "How it Ended" -- roughly one for each year of his publishing career -- and the only flaw worth noting regarding this book is that it did . . . end. Here's hoping for more short fiction of similar high quality from Jay McInerney.

In the 80's Jay McInerney and Brett Easton Ellis were being touted as the Hemingway and Fitzgerald of a new generation. I don't know if anybody had in mind which was supposed to be Hemingway and which Fitzgerald, but in, How It Ended, McInerney's book of new and collected short stories, I think McInerney makes a bid for Fitzgerald's mantle. The most obvious similarity is he treads the same ground stories with husbands and wives talking. True, Hemingway also used husbands and wives as subject matter (as well as couples that aren't officially united,) but McInerney stories seem to have been influenced by Fitzgerald, you can feel that influence in stories such as "Putting Daisy Down," "Sleeping With Pigs," "Summary Judgment." McInerney's stories aren't all what they seem to be, for example in "I Love You, Honey" there's a lot of subtext going on, and what the characters are telling each other isn't as important as what they aren`t telling each other. The subtext in the stories may be redemption, even when the characters aren't aware of it or even asking for it. I noticed this while reading "Con Dr." about a doctor with a drug problem who does redeem his career and his life but with unexpected consequences. Other sources for the stories are writers and the writers life. McInerney shows all aspects of writers from gilded college boys wanting to be writers in "The Waiter," or to the drugged out rock band lyricist, now more a drug dealer than a word purveyor in "The Queen and I." McInerney isn't a pyrotechnical writer, he doesn't use gimmicks to pull you into his stories with flashy wordplay or bizarre scenarios, most of his starting points are a world we know well, or aren't unfamiliar with. McInerney is a mature writer who has the confidence of his craft and talent and lets his stories unfold in front of the reader. He has the ability to take what at first seems a random comment or observation and make it deftly reflect the unspoken truths behind the situation the characters find themselves in. A lot of the stories are from a male point of view but a standout story that I found amazing was "The Story of My Life" which is told from the point of view of a girl in her 20's and her concerns. At first she seems a vague and vapid person but as the McInerney unravels the story through her phone calls to lovers, friends, and family, you see there is so much more, so much so that you think of her as a person and not a character in a story. I don't keep bringing up Hemingway or Fitzgerald as a direct story to story comparison of the legendary authors to McInerney, but to illustrate that the quality of work demonstrated in How It Ended is on the level of those legendary authors. If he is the new Fitzgerald or Hemingway or just Jay McInerney, it makes me wish I'd paid a little more attention to McInerney's writing in the past few years.

Hot of the presses from McInerney is a collection of short stories about adultery, deception and guilt in post 9/11 New York. If you're familiar with McInerney's previous work (see "Bright Lights, Big City") then you'll know that he has that cynical, urban 20/30-something, hip NY thing down pat. And that's what we get with "The Last Batchelor" - lots of hip, stylish people screwing around. But it isn't as shallow as it might sound or even appear at first glance as there is plenty of morality coming through because the bad people usually get their comeuppance. I've found McInerney's other novels to be a bit like this also - on the surface they may appear to be stories about shallow individuals who get messed up and make bad decision but when you scratch the surface a little you find some deeper insights into modern life. There is a hint of repetition in the formulae sometimes (wife exacting revenge from a cheating husband, partner cheating on spouse and regretting it) and also some of the characterers are a bit clichéd (fading playboy, ageing gold digger, reformed party girl) but none of this seems to matter. It's all good stuff and if I'm not mistaken McInerney is making a conscious effort to lift his game here. The language is richer than I recall in his earlier novels, the $60 words more frequent and although his writing seems casual I think it's actually quite crafted. I think he's making a real effort here. A few other interesting points for the trainspotters. McInerney has reprised Alison Poole - a character that first appeared in his earlier novel "Story of My Life" and later turned up in the Bret Easton Ellis novels "American Psycho" and "Glamorama". McInerney has previously said that the character is based on his former girlfriend Lisa Druck. Interestingly, this former girlfriend was revealed in recent times to have been the mistress of John Edwards (an unsuccessful presidential candidate). And what do you know, in one fo the stories Alison Poole is the mistress of a politician. (As an aside, Ellis also uses Jay McInerney himself as a character in his most recent novel "Lunar Park"). Also, McInerney famously upset his family by writing about his mother's deathbed confession and here you will find a story about a family going to war over just that. I suspect there are other interesting references and characters (and possibly autobiographical parts) for those more knowledgeable than I. All in all, a great little collection of interesting stories. There are some great lines and some bizarre scenarios. There is also plenty of incestuous references to keep the die-hards happy. The hardback is also beautifully bound, exquisitely typeset and even has a ribbon for a bookmark. I do love a good book.

From the moment I got my hands on Bright Lights, Big City around 1984, Jay McInerney became the odds-on favorite to become The Voice for this generation. His pitch-perfect dialogue, eloquent style and compelling storylines made him a must-read, and I've purchased every book of his the moment it became available. While I believe McInerney has a singular narrative voice, there has been some criticism that instead of merely chronicling those living the good life, he himself became too immersed in the good life to be as productive as some of his peers. Accordingly, they say, he only had six novels and two short story collections published -- and should have been twice as productive. His last two works are pure vindication. I had my doubts that anyone could have pulled off a love story set against the backdrop of 9/11, but THE GOOD LIFE is J-Mac's full-circle masterwork, the only work of fiction that has been able to articulate the impact of that fateful event. Think of the stories in HOW IT ENDED as the equivalent of the Rolling Stones' "Hot Rocks" collection. Here you get 25 years of Jay's short fiction, and you see the urban world through his unique lens as his powers of observation mature over time. The power-to-weight ratio of these stories is extraordinary.

"Sleeping With Pigs." A married couple - belonging to the High Society - divide their time between New-York City and a farm in Tennessee. The wife likes to sleep with a pig between her and her husband. " I Love You, Honey." A man is unfaithful to his wife. She takes revenge on him in a sophisticated but cruel way. "The Madonna Of Turkey Season " Four brothers lost their parents and each year at Thanksgivings Day, they invite all kinds of women at the table: girlfriends and acquaintances or just a girl that happened to be in the neighborhood. "Everything's Lost" Sabrina wants to throw a surprise party for her boyfriend. But she's afraid that she won't be able to keep it a secret, now that he suddenly decides to stay at home most of the time. "Invisible Fences." A man wakes up around one o'clock in the morning. He goes to the kitchen for a beer and a cigarette. He hears strange noises coming from the living room; his wife lies in the arms of another man. "The March" During a march against war with Iraq, two old lovers meet each other. After a while the peaceful march gradually turns into violence. "Summary Judgement." A gossip-like story about very wealthy Americans and European aristocracy. "The Waiter" America and Europe Again. "Penelope On The Pond" The mistress of a man who's running for President is temporarily tucked away in a house near a pond. He promises that when everything is back to normal, he will return to her. How long will she have to wait? "Putting Daisy Down" The oldest word: love The oldest crime: adultery By the way, Daisy is the name of a cat. "The Debutante's Return" Present and past of a wealthy Southern family. "The Last Of The Bachelors" A marriage in the South. It's a description of social life rather than a story.