pt. 1. Winter dreams. May day—Winter dreams—Absolution — "The sensible thing" — The great Gatsby—The rich boy—Basil and Cleopatra—pt. 2. The crack-up. Outside the cabinet-maker's—Babylon revisited—Echoes of the jazz age—Crazy Sunday—Family in the wind—From Tender is the night [chapters 1-6] — pt. 3. Pasting it together. The crack-up—Pasting it together—Handle with care—pt. 4. Handling it with care. Afternoon of an author — "I didn't get over" — The long way out—Financing Finnegan—The lost decade—From The last tycoon [chapters 1 and 4].