A novel about writing a novel

I think it's very important we remember that Grady has been working on this novel for about seven years, so some of the "facts" seem more like verbal diarrhea. Between the Korean Jews, murdered dog, 9 foot long boas, and throwing tuba cases, the story lost a little credibility- I just don't know what to believe and what to discard. However, I do think Chabon's descriptions of the drugs, sex, and alcohol abuse are realistic- it brings a certain amount of equality to the student/professor relationship... Imagine playing drinking games with a teacher- I'd say that would be a rather informal relationship! This is a very blunt form of showing how students and faculty make up the same university community, and their actions do in fact affect each other. I was confused with the novel's ending- why Grady accepted blame for the coat and dog. I think Grady was looking for a chance to start over- falling over a balcony might not have been in his plan, but he clearly needed a change in scenery, and took the opportunity to help a student who was heading down a path similar to his own.