. . "St.James betrays his friend Alig???s confidence???not for personal gain, of course, but for soul-searching purposes: ???I had to look at the monster in me that could love someone like this.??? Yet most of the book is devoted not to analysis of Alig???s background and motivation, but to St. James???s wearying recall of their heady years grappling for supremacy in the top echelons of club society." . .