Edmund White is so easy to read; I always finish his books in a third the time of others. I usually like his characters too, but not so much this time out. What we have are two New Yorkers, one gay and in love with his straight friend. The gay guy does whatever he can to accommodate the straight one in his hedonistic pursuits. Altogether they seem a pretty superficial duo, doing lots of superficial New York things like having tons of lovers, eating at all the right places and knowing all the right people. Name dropping seems a universal NYC game.