I own all of Bret Easton Ellis's books. I have tried to read every single one, and gotten bored/frustrated/disgusted by the tenth page. My last attempt was Bret's book Less Than Zero.
As I expected, it was boring, but I kept reading. The main character is Clay, an 18-year old college student who returns from New Hampshire to Los Angeles. He's rich, arrogant and addicted to cocaine. He feels nothing and does whatever he wants. The first fifty pages was a boring trudge through nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. But as soon as I reached page 51. . . things took off.
I realized that Ellis was creating a deep, symbolic build-up for one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Instantly, the book becomes gripping, mind-blowing even. Clay reminds me of myself, a dark side that I have, where I have "almost" everything I want, where I stop feeling and even death, rape, prostitution doesn't bother me. As he goes to party after party after party, takes snort of coke after snort after snort, as I watch him deteriorate, something beautiful grows inside me. I am facing myself, overcoming myself.
Don't read this book. Watch the movie, or stop caring altogether. I think only a select few will understand the symbolism in this book, something I can't explain in a mere book review. You'd have to read it, and you won't.
Bret Easton Ellis said "I read it for the first time in about 20 years this year—recently. It wasn't so bad. I get it. I get fan mail now from people who weren't really born yet when the book came out. I don't think it's a perfect book by any means, but it's valid. I get where it comes from. I get what it is."
He wrote the book in 1985 when he was 19.
