FICTION

SEDUCED by Nelson George (Putnam: $24.95; 352 pp.). It’s the 1980s, and aspiring songwriter Derek Harper is a man easily seduced. Not only do the Big Three--money, fame and women--keep him running, but Harper falls prey to subtler forms of seduction as well: the ease of rationalizing bad behavior, abdicating responsibility and keeping the whole world at arm’s length. All these issues are brilliantly interwoven with a behind-the-scenes look at the music industry, particularly the evolution of rap.

George, author of many books on black popular culture, writes with a wide-angle lens so that even simple descriptions work. “I had what Gibbs called a ‘crossover voice.’ There was no ghetto in my tone. No harshness. No unnecessary cockiness. I used slang sparingly, like spice in a good soup, not like it constituted the whole meal. . . . Gibbs patted me on the back and [said] I was the tour’s Lionel Richie . . . it was a compliment that felt a bit disdainful. Even worse, it felt like it might have been true.”

Before reaching a delayed adulthood, Harper moves through many personal and professional incarnations, from chauffeuring a New York dance diva to a stint as a “minority” jingle writer. Each job provides a different perspective not only on Harper, but on the relationship between music and culture.

Although the strength of George’s writing makes “Seduced” accessible to almost anyone, it may be enjoyed most by readers who have at least a nodding acquaintance with contemporary music. There are a few problems with pacing, but that in no way diminishes the overall effect of this smart, funny and wonderfully resonant novel.

* NELSON GEORGE will participate in the panel “Straight, No Chaser: Black Male Writers on Imagery and Reality in Their Lives and Work” at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Book on Saturday, April 20 at 4 p.m.