Bret Easton Ellis is one of our favourite authors, so we had to dedicate an entire post to our favourite of his published works.
Less Than Zero
The first of Bret’s 7 novels. Also the first that we read. The book that started it all, it could be said.
A tale of the young, fortunate and naive. It follows the life of a rich college student who has just returned to L.A. We watch Clay party, drink and sleep with both genders. Slowly Clay begins to put down the bourbon and look at what’s going on around him and most importantly, watch his friends struggle with serious issues – debt, drug addiction and disturbing habits.
It’s a real eye opener to what happened behind the closed doors of college students in the early 80’s.
Rules of Attraction
(Without knowing, our top 3 happen to be published straight after each other).
Similar to Less than Zero, but focuses more on the very spoilt, rich art students. The novel circulates around the main love triangle:
Sean, a very sexually active, rich drug dealer who also loves the narcotics himself. He’s incredibly self-loathing, attempts suicide multiple times and is very much in love with Lauren, who is a troubled painter who engages in a fair amount of relationships herself. She was written to have dated Paul in the past. Paul is infatuated with Sean and we ‘think’ that they have a relationship. But a lot of Paul’s story is unclear and it’s up to the reader to make their own mind up. Is it all true or a figment of Paul’s imagination?
Over-all, it’s a tale of frustration, first world problems and teenage angst that may not be appropriate for teenagers to read.
American Psycho
I’m sure you’ll know the famous film. Well, here’s where it came from. A very controversial book, but it’s our favourite.
The tale of a seriously disturbed, egocentric; who happens to also enjoy murdering people. Patrick Bateman (brother of Sean from Rules of Attraction) is a wealthy banker with a mild cocaine addiction. He gets what he wants in life and he wants the best. When he doesn’t get the best, this makes him very angry.
He takes very good care of himself and not such great care of those around him, his work mates (one he ‘kills’ himself) and his lovers (fiancé and others) included.
Overall it’s a tale of a man’s insanity. We watch him sweat over someone’s business card, murder prostitutes and work colleagues, hobos and animals. Can he subdue his love of violence and Hughie Lewis? Sanity starts to slip away and we’re left not even knowing what’s real and what’s hallucinations?
Overall, lets just say we will never forget this one, and that is why it’s our favourite.
