This book is weird. It's a weirdo.
I have been staring at the wall for an hour trying to figure out what I think & what to say about it. Bret Easton Ellis writes polarizing stories, & "The Shards"--his first book since "American Psycho"--is no different. You'll either love it or hate it.
It takes place in 1981 in Los Angeles, & is a pseudo-autobiography, mixing stories from the author's life with embellished details & fictional twists. It's a 600-page inner monologue of a not-as-apathetic-as-he-pretends-to-be 17-year-old Bret that is unfortunately relatable. Bret wants to sleep with all his friends, Bret hates all his friends. Bret wants to go to parties & have fun, Bret wants to stay home alone & get high. Bret wishes people understood him more, Bret doesn't want anyone to know who he really is.
He becomes obsessed with a serial killer that's victimizing high school students in really (REALLY) f-ed up ways, & a new boy in school named Robert. Robert is hot & mysterious--everyone's favorite combo--& Bret can't decide if he's good spicy or bad spicy.
You'll learn about the roads in LA, 80s clothing brands, & which songs kids listened to while having inane conversations in specific vehicle models. You will wonder why you need to be told the color & brand of someone's shampoo bottle (brown, Vidal Sassoon), which showing of which movie they saw in which theater that they read about in which newspaper (The Shining, 10 am, Saturday, May 24, 1981, Village Theater, Los Angeles Times). & you will especially wonder why you end up caring despite yourself.
This book is not fast-paced, but extremely vibe-y. Think "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" & the A-List books meets "American Psycho" (obviously). The escalating paranoia & existential dread really snuck up on me, & there were a few scenes that genuinely freaked me out, which does not happen often.
If you have almost any triggers, read at your own risk, but I'm going to be thinking about this book for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
