Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

65 reviews

excalibolg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Reading this as my second BEE novel after American Psycho, the 30 year gap in writing says nothing about a deprecation in sophistication. Only compared to American Psycho's superhuman pace, from the outset of The Shards I felt like I was being lured. The choice of Ellis as his own protagonist in ebbing adolescence was one that threw me off balance but as I embraced the meta-fiction along with it came a sense of dread.

I found myself infatuated with Bret’s obsession, and at the same time felt compelled to question him. Ellis opens with admissions that it's taken decades to write about these particular events. The residual trauma threatens to unravel him entirely; by this point in his life it has uprooted him, at some points. You feel ingratiated, he hopes, that hes dug up this morsel- for us- and freed himself of being the only one who knows, truly knows what transpired. What results is a viscid 600 page recollection, with Ellis saying was aided by journals from the time that included even what songs were playing as he drove some place. Reading with the proper playlist does complement the experience. 80's LA as a historical setting was also like a character. A keeper for the inhabitants of the story, that holds and feeds their desires, fattening them like pigs that are quickly added to the trough after being vanquished. Ellis crafts the era with a firsthand experience that also sounds like a bronzed version of a teenage fantasy. The waxing about numbness as it's own emotion, the imprecise yet confident analysis of everyone around him, reminded me of a common teenage headspace: heedless yet stricken with confusion with how the world worked. 

Since I got this book through Libby I tried to finish this before it got held again. I dedicated hours daily to it for a few weeks. One thing Ellis accomplishes with this novel is crafting a semester that feels like a lifetime. A portrait of obsession so detailed that once you acquaint yourself with it won't leave you alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, and Murder

Minor: Rape

booksandbulletjournaling's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic friendship

serafinamariac's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

ivarsson's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Suicide attempt

levtitticus's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape

Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Car accident

selah228's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Stalking, and Abandonment

hilbertscurve's review against another edition

3.5

Much to unpack here. Probably could have cut like 100 pages of high school tedium.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Violence, and Murder

archiedh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bret easton ellis’ take on ‘the secret history’ - as graphic, sexual, and frank as you’d expect but incredibly enthralling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Sexual content, and Murder

Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Sexual harassment

elektracaganis's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

det va en väldigt bra, intressant & spännande bok!! den va kanske lite segstartad, fast typ ändå inte ??? spänningen trappades verkligen upp successivt under hela boken vilket jag gillade !! 
det va dock väldigt mycket ”male gaze” men jag antar att det är pga den utspelar sig på 80talet & att då va allt så jävla kvinnligt & manligt & hemligt, så det passar la!

varning dock, väldigt grova beskrivningar av ganska så sjuka mord & sex om det stör er! kram

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, and Murder

alineh's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail