The Last Bachelor by Jay McInerney

Jay McInerney's second collection of short stories sees him revisiting a favourite milieu: the lives and loves of privileged Manhattan socialites. Although the myriad references to 9/11 place the stories in the 21st century, much of the characterisation and dialogue self-consciously echoes F Scott Fitzgerald. The first story, "Sleeping With Pigs", features a winning touch of surrealism – the protagonist is forced to share his marital bed with a pot-bellied pig. Individually, each story is witty, beautifully written and highly evocative. Cumulatively, the effect becomes akin to gorging yourself on several courses of the same rich food. If reading about the casual adultery of the idle rich isn't your thing, these stories might end up trying your patience.