What a wonderful phrase: "pushing both into the reader's lap." Thanks!

My understanding is that Ransom was McInerney's first novel, but BLBC found a publisher first. Ransom had less appeal for me, but there's a great scene in one of McInerney's novels (possibly Ransom) about teaching English in Japan and trying to help students master the business slang of the day like, "So tell me, when did you decide that sales was your bag?" It's hilarious.

My Alabama neighbors use "you" a lot, too, chiefly in "y'all." You can always tell the Midwesterners (forgive me), because they don't know you can't use it for one person: "Y'all" is always plural :).