Simply that I started it last night, finished it this afternoon, and bought a copy for a friend shows the level of gusto I have for this book. Hall uses his wit and concise storytelling to capture a demimonde of time and place. He beautifully details the difficulty of running an underground newspaper, the frustrations of living in New York, and the universal obstacles of sustaining relationships of all types. This novel satisfies. Thankfully, I'm still under its influence.