A review by notoriousesr
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Bret is 17 years old, closeted, and deeply horny for every boy that crosses his path. Then, the enigmatic Robert Mallory joins the senior class at his prep school, and Bret’s life goes off the rails as he becomes more and more obsessed with Robert and his supposed connection to a serial killer, the Trawler. In this work of pseudo-autofiction, Bret Easton Ellis weaves a narrative of obsession and paranoia against the backdrop of early 80s Los Angeles.
I have way too much to say about this book. On the one hand I literally could not put it down. I always wanted to be reading it. On the other hand, I think that Bret Easton Ellis is just enough of a smug asshole that his fashioning of himself into an unreliable narrator still rings with an air of superiority, which lends a falseness to aspects of the narrative. Comparing this to another self-aware narrator (Eileen in Eileen), Ellis is just a little too afraid of making himself look foolish to completely sell me on the character of Bret. Also, the female characters fall a little flat for me, but I can see that being and intentional reflection of Ellis’ own teenaged misogyny. That all being said, this book was still a deeply compelling thriller, and I think a pretty effective critique of rich prep kid culture and true crime paranoia. I’m giving it 3.5 Gucci backpacks out of 5.
I have way too much to say about this book. On the one hand I literally could not put it down. I always wanted to be reading it. On the other hand, I think that Bret Easton Ellis is just enough of a smug asshole that his fashioning of himself into an unreliable narrator still rings with an air of superiority, which lends a falseness to aspects of the narrative. Comparing this to another self-aware narrator (Eileen in Eileen), Ellis is just a little too afraid of making himself look foolish to completely sell me on the character of Bret. Also, the female characters fall a little flat for me, but I can see that being and intentional reflection of Ellis’ own teenaged misogyny. That all being said, this book was still a deeply compelling thriller, and I think a pretty effective critique of rich prep kid culture and true crime paranoia. I’m giving it 3.5 Gucci backpacks out of 5.