"New York, 1973. Alan Eastman--washed-up writer, public intellectual, husband, father, and philanderer--has hit the rock bottom. Once a revered man of letters, he now finds himself alone on the floor of his study, reeling from the sudden departure of his wife and bemoaning his faded glory. But when he receives an unexpected phone call from an old rival, he discovers the solution to all of his problems: he will fly to Saigon to write the definitive account of the Vietnam War and, on the wings of this triumphant comeback, regain the love of his wife and reestablish himself as the preeminent author of his time ... [This book] captures a golden age in American culture, both celebrating and puncturing the romance of 1970s New York with the story of one vexatious yet unforgettable man's search for meaning in the face of advancing age, fading love, and a rapidly changing world."--Dust jacket flap.