Social Disease

"Social Disease" is an appreciative satire of 1980s Manhattan club culture before AIDS struck and pill-popping went underground. Guy is a sleepy "Pollyanna in leather", whose family's fortune, made in domestic sparkling wine, supports an idle, hedonistic lifestyle. He and his intoxicating bride Venice start their parade of parties each night at Club de, the current hot spot for New York's hippest freaks, beauties, and glitterati. When fashion plate and fellow exemplar of indolence Licky Banes gets Guy a job to appease his parents, it looks like trust fund babies and employment might not mix. The essence of "Social Disease" is its descriptions of people and places. Paul Rudnick portrays the irresponsible, superficial nightcrawlers at Club de vividly and incisively. They require no exaggeration. They're hilarious and vapid but not unsympathetic. Guy is sort of lovable. Even the obnoxious motormouth Licky is too funny to annoy for long. And readers will spend inordinate amounts of time trying to picture Venice. "Social Disease" is a witty trip back to a time before "family values" and obsessive careerism, that doesn't hesitate to lampoon, criticize or to celebrate the sybarites.

A fantastic read! Completely enjoyable. Hip, light, insightful, over-the-top hysterical. Nice to have it re-released.

Obviously, giving this book a "10" rating may seem a bit much. It's no Madame Bovary, afterall. But this book is tremendously funny. A slice of life from the go-go 80's new york after-hours club/trust-fund scene, Rudnick tosses out stomach-muscle-aching lines sometimes so fast, it's hard to keep up. The one-liners alone are worth the read. I had the pleasure of reading this book on a plane. Reading a book that forces you to laugh out loud in an enclosed public area is bad enough, but when the cover is emblazoned with the title "Social Disease," the stares you get are even more glaring than usual. Very fun. Read it tonight.