Kissing in Manhattan - David Schickler

The book of 2001 is Kissing in Manhattan: a twisted series of intertwining New York fairytales by an outstandingly original, funny and talented new writer. It features the Pre-emption, a fantastically grand and old-fashioned apartment building in New York, and some extraordinary recurring characters: Patrick, the charismatic and satanic millionaire with a penchant for nude restraint; Rally, the travel writer lying tied up in Patrick's bedroom during an Breakfast at Tiffany's-style party; Jacob and Rachel, whose secret nightly bath is suddenly headline news; Hannah, the nymphomaniac perfume heiress; and Douglas, the teacher who is invited to dinner by his star pupil's parents, and propositioned.

With its extraordinary combination of old-world glamour and new world deviance, Kissing in Manhattan is a breathtaking and unimaginably stylish debut.