An emotionally shaky gay songwriter braves the roller coaster of fame and success in this thinly plotted but witty novel by Outland (Different People
, etc.). Thirty-something Adam Bede, introverted and hopelessly bipolar (unless he takes his trusty omega-3 fish oil), is convinced he's being screwed by the big, bad music publishing industry. In an attempt to go independent, he and some of his friends come up with a plan to propel an unknown "teeny bop pop slop" singer to superstardom. After a grueling Manhattan talent search, Adam and company are dazzled by sophisticated teen crooner Christie Squires, and all hit pay dirt as her first album rockets up the charts. But their success is short-lived when their partnership begins to fall apart and Christie sues the management team for a laundry list of evils. Meanwhile, Lyle, Adam's political analyst boyfriend, is smitten by bisexual aspiring songwriter Sam Sparks. In a strange twist of fate, Adam is pitted against Sam and Christie on Bottom Line Showcase
, a new reality television show like American Idol
crossed with The Real World
. Lively, chatty prose and snarky commentary ("I could see her two years from now, thanking God at the Grammys even as her concert T-shirts were cranked out by slave labor in China") make this satisfying light entertainment, despite the hackneyed, television-inspired premise. Agent, L. Perkins Agency. (Nov.)
