Spy Notes

A successful Cliffs notes parody, this addresses ``all those hip urban novels of the 1980s'' written by Jay McInerney, Tama Janowitz, Bret Easton Ellis, Jill Eisenstadt et al. Some 15 work are treated here via short biographical notes, plot summaries, commentary (``This is an example of Ellis's unorthodox use of plot. Rather than surprising the reader with unexpected events, Ellis's plots deliberately fulfill our expectations'') and review questions (``What do you think is the personal reason McInerney refuses to admit that Bright Lights, Big City is autobiographical?''). There are several charts and a detachable ``Novel-O-Matic'' writing device, which ingeniously allows the reader to construct his or her own contemporary novel. By their existence, however, these notes bolster the status of the very writers they impugn. QPBC selection. (Sept.)