Before I started his new novel ‘The shards’ I got to to thinking about my reading past. As a university student in the early nineties, I remember Bret Easton Ellis being constantly referred to as the ‘Enfant terrible’ of modern American fiction. So naturally, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on 'American Psycho’ when it was released and remember being both appalled and fascinated by the book: it was so distinctive and Ellis had a style all of his own, and then of course there was the violence. This was pre-internet so we weren't as exposed  to gore (at least, I wasn’t) so it was shocking, even if sounds twee now to be shaken by a book.

American Psycho

For me, ‘American Psycho’ was both brutal and banal in equal measure. The violence was extreme and gleefully detailed, and Bateman was a vile, vapid misogynistic character. I got that it was methaphor for the empty, morally bankrupt society Ellis felt we were living in. As a music snob, I was also shocked by the detail given to the descriptions of Phil Collins solo output.

And so to ‘The shards,’ the latest from Ellis, which I approached with a little bit of trepidation. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start my new reading year with descriptions of senseless violence, but I was curious as to what the author was up to now. 

Bret Easton Ellis

Firstly, the main character is Bret Easton Ellis, growing up as a 17-year-old, in his last year at high school and dreaming of escape. He is part of a group of well-off friends in LA and with his parents holidaying overseas, has a spacious mansion all to himself.

His character is always on 'edge' but soothed by valium, which stops him from breaking down completely. He is a 'tangible participant' going through the motions, playing the game of being a dutiful boyfriend and best friend, whilst keeping aspects of his sex life a secret. 

But something sinister is happening. A serial killer is stalking the community and young women have been going missing before being found brutally murdered. A cult has been breaking into homes, harassing residents and family pets are disappearing. It’s unclear whether these events are connected.

Bret seems more concerned about these grisly occurrences than his friends at the prestigious private school he attends. And he’s increasingly concerned when a new pupil joins the school and becomes part of his tight knit circle of friends. There’s just something ‘off’ about the handsome and charming Robert Mallory. Is he connected to the shocking events taking place in the community?

Less than zero

I have heard ‘The shards’ described as ‘auto fiction’, a mixture of the autobiographical and the fictional. It seems that Ellis did indeed grow up in LA during this period and attended Buckley private school. I couldn’t find a ‘riders of the afterlife’ cult during a quick internet search, but it does seem there was serial killer operating during this time known as 'the trawler,’ though he targeted elderly women.

The Bret Easton Ellis character is also writing a book which will become ‘less than zero’, a book I’d actually forgotten I’d read. Perhaps this was his intention, as I refreshed my memories by reading a recap today and indeed it is about numbness, with a group of wealthy, entitled teenagers drifting through life in a haze of substance abuse and privilege. I really don’t have much recollection of the book, and Ellis describes it as having ’no story….just a drifting numb quality that I was trying to perfect…’ and that he wanted to achieve in less than zero ’numbness as a feeling, numbness as a motivation, numbness as the reason to exist, numbness as ecstasy.’ It’s a quality best exemplified by Susan, one of the characters in ‘The Shards.’

Tangible participant

But where ’The Shards’ differs is that the Bret character becomes frustrated by this facade of numbness, and sets out to expose it. He moves from ’tangible participant’ to someone wanting to investigate the crimes that are getting closer to him, whilst becoming frustrated with his friends for not being able to see what’s happening. Though he mollifies his pain with a constant supply of weed, valium and quaaludes. 

To me, this is a much better book than ‘American psycho’ and ‘Less than zero.’ I found it really engaging, a murder mystery mixed up in a coming-of-age story that it’s easy to like and return to. But I would also add that perhaps it’s too long at nearly 600 pages, and there was some ambiguity in the ending that I’m still not sure how I feel about. 

But Ellis is having so much fun in the telling of this story. Tension builds up in the character of Bret and his relationships with his friends, and he really cranks it up as it reaches a conclusion. I absolutely loved how completely over the top and mad it was. It reminded me a bit of the end of the computer game ’The last of us.’ Tremendous craic all round.

Another aspect of the book I oddly enjoyed  were the descriptions of LA in the eighties. I’m a huge Micheal Connolly and Harry Bosch fan, and I’m almost hypnotised by his descriptions of travelling across the highways and freeways. Ellis is the same here, and even though I’ve never been to LA, there’s something soothing in these languid descriptions. I know some people would probably be annoyed by details such as these but I’m a sucker for them!

I took Avenue of the Stars and would make a left onto Santa Monica and then drive South Beverly Glen until it hit Bel Air Road where I would swing a right onto Bellagio, which would take us to Stone Canyon.

The Eighties

The mansions, clothes, movies and cars are also described in detail. I particularly liked the Santa Ana winds rippling the water in the pools, screaming over the desert and rattling the garage doors.

The music of the time plays such a big part as well, giving the setting an added depth. Someone has naturally created a spotify playlist that I have included below and am enjoying as I type this book review. As a child of the eighties, I was particular pleased when the characters were described listening to songs that I had already thought they would like. Coincidentally, Terry Hall of the specials had just died when ‘Ghost town’ was mentioned. There’s a certain ‘Icehouse’ song that give me the chills when it is introduced.

Violence and sex

For those of a squeamish disposition, yes, there is a certain amount of violence against both humans and animals. And there are some scenes that I would prefer not to have read but I zipped through them and didn’t dwell. I would say that the violence is sporadic and shocking when it does arrive and it is typically over the top and gruesome. There’s plenty of detailed sex scenes too. Hey, ‘The shards’ is a Bret Easton Ellis novel after all.

It’s also particularly good at describing the longing and lust of the teenage years, the relationships, the hopes for the future and the regrets of love and friendships lost.

Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed this, much more so than I imagined I would. It’s certainly my favourite of the three Ellis novels I have read. I found it sharp and inventive, dark and disturbing with a slow, tightening pace that builds to a crescendo. I read so many books that I forget within a few weeks of reading, but I certainly won’t with this. Great stuff.  

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Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for gifting me with this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest book review.

Book Review - The Shards - Bret Easton Ellis

608 pages

First published January 17, 2023 by Knopf Publishing Group