Good times/Bad times

This serio-comic novel was my favourite book in my early 20s. It has a Catcher in the Rye vibe to it, but I think it a more interesting, and certainly more complex narrative.

The author, James Kirkwood, died many years ago. He wrote many books, but became more widely known and certainly wealthier when he wrote the book (basically the script but not the music) for A Chorus Line.