Summary

The novel begins by introducing Russell Calloway as a middle-aged editor and publisher who moved to New York in his youth, like so many others, to partake in the city’s rich artistic and literary culture. The third person narrator explains that Russell abandoned his dream of writing the great American novel in favor of editing the up and coming writers around him after becoming disillusioned with his own writing talents.

In his early days as an editor Russell published a book written by his best friend, Jeff Pierce, after his death. The book, Youth and Beauty, centered on a love triangle based on Jeff, Russell, and Russell’s wife Corrine, and was very popular when it was first released. Not long after, though, it faded into obscurity just like most fads from the 1980s.

In the present, Russell is approached by the...