TIME

Rumaan Alam, author

The D.C.-born, New York City–dwelling Alam took “Write what you know” and tipped it sideways for his fun but trenchant summer novel, Rich and Pretty, starring two young women, lots of beautiful furniture and our notions of class

RUMAAN ALAM HAS ONE OF THE SUMMER’S BIGGEST literary sensations, Rich and Pretty—a first novel that, like many debuts, draws upon the author’s life story. “It’s a not uncommon experience for gay boys, young men and even older men to spend a lot of time in the company of women,” Alam says. “When I was a little boy, all of my pals were girls, and when I went

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