Brighter Lights, Bigger City?

The notorious James Frey calls Jay McInerney's new novel, The Good Life, his best since Bright Lights Big City. The New York Observer's review says it's "less engaging, less rich, less energetic than his last big comeback novel, Brightness Falls". It's yet another tale of America -- specifically, New York -- after 9/11. Frankly, at the rate in which such books are being churned out, it won't be long before it'll be a relief to pick up a novel that doesn't use 9/11 as an overarching metaphor, a generation-defining incident, a critical moment, or whatever. (Remember Chou-en-lai's answer to a question on the impact of the French revolution? "It's too early to say.")