The Bonfire of the Vanities is a satirical novel by Tom Wolfe, first published in 1987. The novel follows the story of Sherman McCoy, a Wall Street bond trader, and his wife Judy, as they become embroiled in a scandal in New York City. The novel is set in the 1980s and is a critique of the excesses of the era. The main characters in the novel are Sherman McCoy, played by Wolfe, SATIRIC, a journalist, and Sandro, a lawyer.