The Shards
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- Create Date：2023-01-17 02:21:48
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Bret Easton Ellis
- ISBN：059353560X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Paul Sparks
，
It’s hard to tell if this book is fiction or an autobiography， I have never read any of the authors previous （I know I am a heathen） saying I enjoyed this would be somewhat of a liberty but neither did I endure this book， it was an experience。 If I have a complaint then it is the narration is not to my taste
Steve
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wowowowowowowow
Joris Belgers
，
Eens een fan， altijd een fan。 Maar ook wel echt goed。
Danny Marcalo
，
I am a huge admirer of "American Psycho"， haven't read anything else by Ellis， though。 However， I will definitely read "Less Than Zero" shortly。 This really took a while， it's a huge book with a lot of characters。 Also there are long stretches， where nothing happens， songs are mentioned， street names in Los Angeles， what drug does what， what dude the protagonist masturbates to。 One could say that it is kind of bloated。 However， it does develop a kind of pull。 At some point you start caring about I am a huge admirer of "American Psycho"， haven't read anything else by Ellis， though。 However， I will definitely read "Less Than Zero" shortly。 This really took a while， it's a huge book with a lot of characters。 Also there are long stretches， where nothing happens， songs are mentioned， street names in Los Angeles， what drug does what， what dude the protagonist masturbates to。 One could say that it is kind of bloated。 However， it does develop a kind of pull。 At some point you start caring about the characters and what the arrival and strange behavior of Robert Mallory is doing to the group dynamic。 Also， life as a closeted gay teenager in 1981 is quite stressful as well as exciting。 This is a good LGBTQ+ novel。 The criminal aspect of it all is thrilling， there are some nice scenes， especially the one where Bret is in Palm Springs。 Then none of it is true and still somewhat rooted in Ellis' life， I have to do some reading about that。 I love the atmosphere。 These rich kids， who listen to music， who go to the movies， buy stuff， do drugs， have sex， who are basically adults， while at the same time being in over their heads with what's happening。 It feels Los Angeles-y。 I'm buying "Less Than Zero" after this， since the fake Bret in this novel mentions in frequently and I expect and hope it to have a similar DNA。 So， very strange book， very long， but in the end it comes together nicely， with a twist， that is at the same time familiar and very original。 。。。more
Stephanie
，
I really do not read or watch horror， and yet I found myself really swept up in this book。
Tom Mooney
，
Bret Easton Ellis returns to fiction - and it's a mind-blowing triumph。When an author returns after so long away， there is always the fear that they won't have the same appeal， or that you have moved away from them as a reader。 But The Shards is absolutely amazing。 It's like a combination of the best bits of all of his previous books rolled into one。It's got sex， violence， drugs， nostalgia， melodrama， gruesome murders， masturbation， stalkers， serial killers， animal cruelty， love， lust， absent pa Bret Easton Ellis returns to fiction - and it's a mind-blowing triumph。When an author returns after so long away， there is always the fear that they won't have the same appeal， or that you have moved away from them as a reader。 But The Shards is absolutely amazing。 It's like a combination of the best bits of all of his previous books rolled into one。It's got sex， violence， drugs， nostalgia， melodrama， gruesome murders， masturbation， stalkers， serial killers， animal cruelty， love， lust， absent parents， wild teenagers， privilege， corruption， parties， pornography and， in this semi-fictionalised version of himself， a seductively unreliable narrator to die for。I can't tell you how much I loved it。 This was the most fun I've had reading in a long， long time。 BEE is BACK！ 。。。more
Lacey
，
I wasn’t sure about this book at first。 While reading the first chapter， I struggled to latch on to the sprawling sentences and numerous references to various Los Angeles driving itineraries。 But by the end of the second chapter， I was entirely hypnotised。 The Shards follows a 17-year-old Bret （a fictionalised version of the author himself）， as he navigates his way through a particularly complicated senior year of high school。 Bret is an aspiring writer who attends an exclusive （read: expensive） I wasn’t sure about this book at first。 While reading the first chapter， I struggled to latch on to the sprawling sentences and numerous references to various Los Angeles driving itineraries。 But by the end of the second chapter， I was entirely hypnotised。 The Shards follows a 17-year-old Bret （a fictionalised version of the author himself）， as he navigates his way through a particularly complicated senior year of high school。 Bret is an aspiring writer who attends an exclusive （read: expensive） private school in early-80s LA - a world filled with pill popping teenagers， shockingly absent parents， and aimless all-night drives…on school nights， no less。 It’s all sex， drugs， and New Wave， in equally excessive amounts。 Then charismatic new kid Robert arrives， along with an extremely vicious series of murders in the LA area， both of which set Bret on a path of obsession and paranoia， leading him to question everything he thought he knew about himself and the world around him。The prose is incredibly atmospheric， and for two-thirds of the book， nothing really *happens*。 We feel the same ennui as Bret and his friends; where the characters are numbed by drugs， alcohol， and empty relationships， the reader is stuck in Bret’s obsessive thought patterns and recurring fantasies。 When events start picking up in the final third of the book， the contrast feels shocking。 The lull of those never-ending quaalude-enhanced midnight drives is suddenly shaken， and the violence of that shift only magnifies the terror of what actually transpires。This is an unsettling book， to say the least。 It is not for the faint of heart， by any means。 There are very explicit descriptions of unimaginable violence against both humans and animals。 There is an abundance of graphically described sex acts - both real and imagined， consensual and otherwise。 There aren’t any responsible adults to come by。 Very few of the characters are in any way sympathetic。 Yet I found myself mesmerised by the unfolding of the story。 I could not put this book down。I wasn’t entirely satisfied by the ending， and there are a few loose ends （for example， （view spoiler）[the details of what actually happened at Terry’s party （hide spoiler）]）。 That said， I would recommend this book to anyone familiar with Bret Easton Ellis’ other works， or to those fascinated by the dark side of 1980s Los Angeles。**I received an advance copy of this book， in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Shelby Bollen
，
DNFI was so excited to read this but it sadly wasn’t for me。 I found it to be a bit all over the place and struggled to get into the writing。 DNF’d at 25%。
Els
，
Scherven。 Door: Bret Easton Ellis。Het is al van American Psycho geleden dat ik nog een Bret Easton Ellis las; de vagina-scène blijft me achtervolgen。 Ik lees ondertussen bijna geen spannende boeken meer en ook quasi geen mannelijke schrijvers meer。 En toch wou ik Scherven lezen。 Het zal nog een jaar of twintig duren eer ik weer een Easton Ellis ga lezen kan ik u wel al verklappen。 Niet omdat het slecht geschreven is （al mocht het soms iets korter en bondiger en met wat minder herhalingen） maar o Scherven。 Door: Bret Easton Ellis。Het is al van American Psycho geleden dat ik nog een Bret Easton Ellis las; de vagina-scène blijft me achtervolgen。 Ik lees ondertussen bijna geen spannende boeken meer en ook quasi geen mannelijke schrijvers meer。 En toch wou ik Scherven lezen。 Het zal nog een jaar of twintig duren eer ik weer een Easton Ellis ga lezen kan ik u wel al verklappen。 Niet omdat het slecht geschreven is （al mocht het soms iets korter en bondiger en met wat minder herhalingen） maar omdat ik eerst enkele vulva scènes moet proberen te verwerken…Scherven is een combinatie van feit en fictie （geen idee wat tot welke categorie behoort， wie tips heeft mag ze met me delen） en dat maakt het toch al spannende verhaal nagelbijtend spannend。 Ik heb 5 dagen in het paranoïde hoofd van Bret （de schrijvende， zeventienjarige hoofdpersoon） doorgebracht en had gerust wat van de valium die hij met hele handen vol slikt kunnen gebruiken。 Drugs， seks， feestjes， giga veel muziek， het zonnige LA van begin jaren ’80， de zorgeloosheid， het coming of age van rijke， verwende jongens en meisjes die leven alsof alles rondom hen draait én hoort te draaien，… Maar ook het niet uit de kast mogen/durven komen， eenzaamheid， het gebrek aan ouderlijk toezicht dat leidt tot nog meer eenzaamheid， tot een vlakke emotieloosheid en in Brett’s geval tot een totale paranoia vormen de hoofdtoon van dit verhaal over een seriemoordenaar die niet enkel moordt maar ook met mensen hun hoofd speelt。 Ik moest er even inkomen， het kwam wat traag op gang door de uitgebreide beschrijvingen maar eens ik er in zat， zat ik er helemaal in。 Verslaafd， onrustig en paranoia :） De paranoia die Bret voor de Treiler voelt， zijn bezetenheid， krijg jij als lezer ook， dat is het knappe aan het verhaal。 Door de middelbare schoolomgeving， het geld， de clubs， het feesten doet het verhaal wat denken aan Gossip Girl。 Maar dan veel en veel enger， spannender én gruwelijker。 Dit is een boek voor de fans én voor mensen die even helemaal door een boek willen worden gegrepen。 Bingen in boekvorm。 。。。more
Sofie
，
In het begin dacht ik dat het boek niets voor mij ging zijn。 Er werden - naar mijn gevoel - teveel details op een pagina gesmeten waardoor ik de focus verloor。 Echter， werd de sfeer wel énorm goed weergegeven: de jaren 80， LA， het hedonistische leven van de rijken， etc。 Gaandeweg begon ik dan wél een focus te krijgen （ we kregen nog altijd veel details te lezen maar op de een of andere manier konden deze in de context beter verwerk worden ） én wat voor een focus。 Pageturner van jewelste。 Ik kon In het begin dacht ik dat het boek niets voor mij ging zijn。 Er werden - naar mijn gevoel - teveel details op een pagina gesmeten waardoor ik de focus verloor。 Echter， werd de sfeer wel énorm goed weergegeven: de jaren 80， LA， het hedonistische leven van de rijken， etc。 Gaandeweg begon ik dan wél een focus te krijgen （ we kregen nog altijd veel details te lezen maar op de een of andere manier konden deze in de context beter verwerk worden ） én wat voor een focus。 Pageturner van jewelste。 Ik kon het boek niet meer wegleggen en ik werd hier enorm gelukkig van。 Wat het boek zo sterk maakte was dat Bret de sfeer zodanig goed kon neerpennen dat het leek alsof ik terug gekatapulteerd werd naar de jaren 80 （ die muziektitels in zijn boek zijn trouwens TOP ） én de paranoia （ of net niet？ ） van het hoofdpersonage sijpelde enorm hard door in mijn eigen hoofd waardoor ik zelf half gek werd van paranoia。 Heerlijk gewoon。 Ik smolt als het ware samen met Bret。 Zoals ik eerder vermelde， speelt het verhaal zich af in Los Angeles， 1981。 Bij Bret， een zeventienjarige scholier op de exclusieve privéschool het Buckley， komt een nieuwe leerling in de klas: Robert Mallory。 Bret heeft het niet zo voor Robert omdat hij Robert op hun eerste ontmoeting alreeds betrapt met een leugen。 Tevens heeft Robert ook een 'duister' verleden waarvan de vriendengroep geen details kent。 Bret raakt geobsedeerd door hem， want op datzelfde moment waart er een seriemoordenaar rond。 En Bret uiteraard， ziet overal connecties。 Maar zijn die connecties fictief of wel degelijk de waarheid？5 sterren zonder twijfel！ Voor degene die alreeds de sfeer van het boek auditief willen waarnemen， heb ik een spotify lijst samengesteld met alle nummers （ en of nummers uit een album ） die in het boek vermeld worden: https://open。spotify。com/playlist/29x。。。 。。。more
Mark
，
You can read my review here。 https://www。altaonline。com/books/fict。。。 You can read my review here。 https://www。altaonline。com/books/fict。。。 。。。more
Ashley Morris
，
DNF at 12%I gave this the ole college try but couldn't do it。 This is 600pg of dense semi autobiographical fiction loosely based on Ellis' life。 I tried several times to get through this book but could only make it a fraction of the way through。 I think if it was cut in half it'd be more palatable。 DNF at 12%I gave this the ole college try but couldn't do it。 This is 600pg of dense semi autobiographical fiction loosely based on Ellis' life。 I tried several times to get through this book but could only make it a fraction of the way through。 I think if it was cut in half it'd be more palatable。 。。。more
Meike
，
This utterly absorbing pseudo-autofictional variation on Less Than Zero with thriller and un-true crime elements as well as an abundance of sex scenes reads like an over-the-top historical novel about the 80's - it's an eccentric pageturner and great， smart fun！ Our protagonist and narrator is one Bret Ellis， a man who penned bestsellers like， you know， American Psycho。 The fictional Ellis looks back at the year 1981 and the events that made him who he is: We learn about a psychopathic killer ca This utterly absorbing pseudo-autofictional variation on Less Than Zero with thriller and un-true crime elements as well as an abundance of sex scenes reads like an over-the-top historical novel about the 80's - it's an eccentric pageturner and great， smart fun！ Our protagonist and narrator is one Bret Ellis， a man who penned bestsellers like， you know， American Psycho。 The fictional Ellis looks back at the year 1981 and the events that made him who he is: We learn about a psychopathic killer called the Trawler and an over-the-top cult who haunt Los Angeles， and they come for 17-year-old Bret and his friends who are seniors at the elite Buckley School - needless to say， real-life Ellis also graduated from Buckley。 In the novel， we meet the classic protagonists of every American high school drama: The simple-minded jock （Thom） and his prom queen girlfriend （Susan） - Bret is in love with both of them -， the spoiled rich friend of said prom queen （Debbie） who is Bret's girlfriend， the joint-smoking outsider （Matt） with whom Bret has sex， plus the hot mysterious guy （Ryan） with whom Bret also has sex （it's 1981， and people are not supposed to know about Bret being gay due to the stigmatization）。 The whole thing has a dark， sinister air: Most of the characters seem to know that they are playing roles， that this life of riches and parties is a charade， and of course there are tons of drugs， alcohol and sex to numb the pain。 Enter Robert， the hot new guy （another stock high school drama character）: Bret mistrusts him and， based on some possible hints， sets out on the quest to prove that he is indeed the Trawler， so a serial-killing maniac， all the while writing on a little novel called， you guessed it， Less Than Zero， about a bunch of disaffected high schoolers （ha！ And did I mention that LTZ protagonist Clay has a poster of Elvis Costello on his wall， much like fictional Bret？）。With the arrival of enigmatic Robert and the sudden death of Bret's secret lover Matt， heightened paranoia begins to disrupt the relations between the characters: Inspired by Susan's dispassionate demeanor （"numbness as ecstasy"）， Bret has long started to build up a wall of alienation， but now this gets fueled by his fear of the Trawler and his investigations into Robert's intentions - Bret becomes， as he says， "the tangible participant"。 He takes more and more drugs and becomes more and more unreliable - the fact that he is an aspiring writer known for his wild imagination also doesn't make him more trustworthy （this is a particularly wicked variation on the Künstlerroman）。 Another major factor dulling his perceptions is his constant teenage horniness: Even Robert might be terrifying， but he also turns him on。 The novel is full of detailed sex scenes， as well as gruesome crime scene portrayals。 To the sound of 80's music， watching classic 80's films and wearing hip popper clothes from the decade， Bret and his friends seem determined to fit in the general Hollywood panorama， to hold on to appearances that give them safety， which， as every Ellis novel tells us， is an ultimately futile endeavor。 What makes "The Shards" so unbelievably fun is how self-conscious， how meta the text is: Ellis invents his own origin myth， he claims to tell us why he took on his persona and how he garnered his reputation by serving us a tale of un-true crime that treats the 80's as a historical decade - which， of course， they are， but it's just so sovereign how Ellis laughs about the datedness of what first made him zeitgeisty。 The American Empire of the 80's， it's long gone， and this author knows it。 Ellis remains a writer who refuses to be fully explained， to be placed and categorized - and he proves it with a novel that remixes his former work while turning the idea of autobiographical explanations into a travesty （see also Kracht's Eurotrash and Greene's Travels with My Aunt）。 Ellis indulges in shifting the portrayal of his fictional "Bret" character into someone untrustworthy and glamorously sinister， and I'm all here for the drama and the cheeky role play。 With 700+ pages， this text could still be longer， because it is so enjoyable and， much like a series， opens a narrative space that invites readers to linger。 I'd love to see this as a movie or a series - although a true-to-the-novel rendition would clearly be R-rated！ :-）Here's the Spotify playlist with all songs mentioned in the book: https://open。spotify。com/playlist/2pE。。。（Side note: Swiss Ellis fan and German-language literary superstar Christian Kracht recently published a novel about an author called Christian Kracht that also refers to his own debut novel， Faserland， and that also mocks the idea of an explanatory， autobiographical origin story - and Kracht's novel is called Eurotrash， a term mentioned six times in Ellis' American Psycho！ WEIRD， and I love this crossover。） 。。。more
Joe Kucharski
，
The Shards is 600 pages of Gen-X angst， teenage infidelity， aimless driving， Ultravox quoting， serial killer hysteria， literary repetition， run-on sentences， and gay sex a-go-go。 Basically， another generation-defining read by Bret Easton Ellis。 And it is good。Following the death of John Hughes in 2009， Ellis remains as one of the leading voices for Gen Xers。 His writings are full of solitary teens thinking and behaving in adult manners belaying their physicality。 They are rich。 They are hip。 The The Shards is 600 pages of Gen-X angst， teenage infidelity， aimless driving， Ultravox quoting， serial killer hysteria， literary repetition， run-on sentences， and gay sex a-go-go。 Basically， another generation-defining read by Bret Easton Ellis。 And it is good。Following the death of John Hughes in 2009， Ellis remains as one of the leading voices for Gen Xers。 His writings are full of solitary teens thinking and behaving in adult manners belaying their physicality。 They are rich。 They are hip。 They listen to the best music ever made。 And are oh-so dirty。 All representing the ultimate Gen X dream of privileged independence。 The Shards is written in first person memoir-style。 A young Bret Ellis is popular-by-association in the preppy Buckley High of 1981 where his lustful thoughts of boys （and men， and occasionally his girlfriend） intersect with the gnarly killings of the Trawler， a serial killer who is preying on the young and hip of Beverly Hills。 Bret becomes obsessed with both。 And listens to a lot of Ultravox all the while。 No doubt Ellis did listen to Ultravox in the Eighties （probably still does - and so should you！）， the Bret Ellis of The Shards is the most unreliable of narrators。 The Bret of the story， like the author himself， is a writer and elaboration is his craft。 Ellis， like his characters within， tends to ramble。 Certain thoughts， phrases， and themes are restated enough to become wearisome。 Yet his deep teenage drama， which reads much more relevant than nostalgic， remains compelling as Ellis strengthens the lives of his friends: the hunky Thom， the gorgeous Susan， the outgoing Debbie， and mysterious Robert。 While elements of these neurotic， bohemian teens might almost seem like a retconned prequel for Less Than Zero， the unfocused roving and contemplations of the Trawler’s existence places The Shards more as a spiritual cousin to American Psycho。 Similar to how the reader does not accompany Patrick Bateman out until nearly at the novel’s halfway point， so too do the Trawler’s antics nearly become forgotten during large chunks of life at Buckley… until they take the forefront。 Ellis then has Bret’s life as a gay teen seeking nothing more than to quietly finish out his senior year converging with the Trawler mystery in a surprisingly personal way。 With lots of blood。 Of course。 And keen attention to high-end sports cars。 The Shards can come across as grating wish fulfillment。 The teens range from totally obnoxious to absolutely ridiculous， especially with the amount of free drugs and alcohol readily available， not to mention absurd absentee parenting。 But Ellis also presents truths - and ones that span the generations - such as ignorance， where the teens are little more than incoherent Charlie Brown-adults making mhaw-wah-wah noises to the grown-ups in the room; the importance to find one’s way， regardless if you are a snotty seventeen-year-old with a penchant for Stanley Kubrik movies; and the dangers that society always presents， even in safe， sunny Beverly Hills。 In short， Bret Easton Ellis has crafted a perfect Gen X novel。 Soundtrack included。 For more Gen X goodness， check out Read @ Joe's for reviews， writings， and angst。 。。。more
sera ✧˖*°࿐
，
GOT AN ARC！！
Leslie Zemeckis
，
Still into Bret’s world - rich LA teens in the ‘80s， drugs， graphic sex， parties， jealousies and a serial killer … stay with it - stay in Bret’s world as he reels you in … party after party， sex， school drugs and then you won’t be able to put the book down as the killer gets closerAnd closer … disrupting the close set of friends， our protagonist is Bret … or is it？
Scott Cumming
，
I'm seeing so much love for this one that I feel like I might have missed something， but at the same time the repetition became a slog for me over time。This is essentially a literary version of Once Upon in Hollywood， which plays as the BEE origin story or as I blithely thought of it， Bateman Begins。 The cool aloofness is mixed with ongoing and somewhat tedious teen dramas blown beyond proportion especially with the lack of adult oversight of any of the teens involved。 It's 1981 and BEE is in se I'm seeing so much love for this one that I feel like I might have missed something， but at the same time the repetition became a slog for me over time。This is essentially a literary version of Once Upon in Hollywood， which plays as the BEE origin story or as I blithely thought of it， Bateman Begins。 The cool aloofness is mixed with ongoing and somewhat tedious teen dramas blown beyond proportion especially with the lack of adult oversight of any of the teens involved。 It's 1981 and BEE is in senior year at Buckley where he is conducting a relationship with Debbie in order to disguise his ongoing homosexual affairs and fantasies in a time when coming out was not an option。 The loss of sexual innocence is played out alongside the loss of innocence as it pertains to violence as BEE becomes wrapped up in a slew of murders committed by a killer dubbed the Trawlerman when a former sexual liaison first disappears， then turns up dead after a series of incidents plays out beforehand similar to other L。A。 killings。That's the simple explanation before you get into the metaficitional side of things as BEE explores his own past works through this new one and it's possibly here where I fall down a bit having read these some time ago and not having a clear memory of Less Than Zero。 As it acts as some kind of prequel to Lunar Park， I perhaps should be obliged to hold this up to what is one of my ultimate favourites。 LP is simply a bit clearer in its intentions than The Shards is。 It's simply too easy to get lulled in and turned off by the ongoing teen relationship dramas that play out for long stretches of the book even as BEE sees the inherent danger of Robert Mallory and what he is doing to BEE's friends and BEE's place within the social structure he's built around himself。There's plenty of tension in certain scenes especially where BEE brushes with the adult world and doesn't possess the control he has in his own teen world。 The sex and violence are suitably hard hitting with both coming hard and fast and gratuitous in service of the story。If it had only been a shorter story with less of the teen drama litigated over and over then I might be obliged to greet it with the same enthusiasm as others， but who am I to say what is right and wrong。 。。。more
Chrétien Breukers
，
Tussen de vier en de vijf sterren。 Ellis is Ellis。 En ik vind dit zijn beste boek na ‘Less than zero’ en ‘American Psycho’。 Misschien is het te lang uitgesponnen， maar dat hoort er op de een of andere manier wel bij。 Na het wat suffe ‘White’ is dit een mooie come back。
Dennis
，
I hope this is a sign to come because THE SHARDS is my first read of 2023 and I absolutely loved it。 I feel embarrassed admitting this， but I’ve never read anything by Bret Easton Ellis before。 My husband is always telling me about his works and how much he enjoys his novels， so I figured it best to start with his latest novel and work my way back。 After hearing that @gareindeedreads loved it， I decided to go for it！THE SHARDS is a dark metafiction novel that will continue to psychologically mes I hope this is a sign to come because THE SHARDS is my first read of 2023 and I absolutely loved it。 I feel embarrassed admitting this， but I’ve never read anything by Bret Easton Ellis before。 My husband is always telling me about his works and how much he enjoys his novels， so I figured it best to start with his latest novel and work my way back。 After hearing that @gareindeedreads loved it， I decided to go for it！THE SHARDS is a dark metafiction novel that will continue to psychologically mess me up even after reading。 I’m literally trying to figure it out now。 The story involves a group of best friends at the Buckley School in Los Angeles during the 1980s。 Our protagonist， Bret details his teenage years with this tight-knit group—money， drugs， parties， sex—this group lived a very intense life at a formidable time during their lives。 Their lives， however， are forever changed when a serial killer begins claiming victims that are hitting close to home and it just so happens to line up with the arrival of a new student joining their senior class。 This book starts off relatively slowly， but the subject matter gripped me from the moment I started。 It’s a long book at around 600 pages， but I caught myself reading it whenever I could。THE SHARDS is a book about obsession and lots of gay sex—but it’s also a coming of age story， sort of， with powerful messaging。 I absolutely loved this book and I really need to talk to fellow readers about this book because I have lots to say！ This book will stay with me for a long time。 。。。more
Scarlett Sangster
，
The Shards， Bret Easton Ellis9/10 In true Easton Ellis style， the renowned author of American Psycho returns with a newly disturbing， semi-autobiographical tale dripping with red herrings， doubts and melodrama。 Narrated by an adolescent version of himself， Ellis details the supposed events of his senior year in 1980s Los Angeles， when a serial killer began targeting a group of his friends。 But all is not as it seems。 Being young， deceitful – and often high on drugs， alcohol or a pairing of the t The Shards， Bret Easton Ellis9/10 In true Easton Ellis style， the renowned author of American Psycho returns with a newly disturbing， semi-autobiographical tale dripping with red herrings， doubts and melodrama。 Narrated by an adolescent version of himself， Ellis details the supposed events of his senior year in 1980s Los Angeles， when a serial killer began targeting a group of his friends。 But all is not as it seems。 Being young， deceitful – and often high on drugs， alcohol or a pairing of the two – our narrator’s story， though aggressive in its presenting of ‘fact’， doesn’t always appear so between the lines。 Who is The Trawler， how does he choose his victims and how can we tell the difference between truth and fiction？ A fantastically chilling novel that will stop you falling asleep， and haunt your days in much the same way as The Trawler haunted Bret。 An absolute must read for January 2023。 Warning: R rated。 *Reviewed for the Press Association， advanced proof provided by Ruth Killick Publicity 。。。more
Martin Maenza
，
The Shards will be released on January 17， 2023。 Knopf Doubleday provided an early galley for review。As with some of his other works， Bret Easton Ellis again sets his story in a fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981。 This was where he grew up and a time when he was himself seventeen years old。 Also， like earlier works， the story is full of detailed sexual exploits and graphic violence。I had to smile when the book opens with a lyrical quote from one of my favorite songs from the 70's。 I took that as The Shards will be released on January 17， 2023。 Knopf Doubleday provided an early galley for review。As with some of his other works， Bret Easton Ellis again sets his story in a fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981。 This was where he grew up and a time when he was himself seventeen years old。 Also， like earlier works， the story is full of detailed sexual exploits and graphic violence。I had to smile when the book opens with a lyrical quote from one of my favorite songs from the 70's。 I took that as a good omen。 In fact， I very much enjoy all the music references that Ellis sprinkles in here。 These were the bands and songs and albums of my coming of age， just as they were his。The narrative structure is a very interesting one。 Ellis has made himself a character in his own novel - a writer of the same age who has written the exact titles he has in real-life。 Ellis' style is again in the very compound/complex sentences that I observed in his earliest work Less Than Zero; previously I attributed it to Clay's disjointed mental states， but I now realize this appears to be a go-to comfort-zone of Ellis' writing。 It can lead to some very overly wordy passages though with a lot of repetition。 I am also not overly fond of the narrator revealing facts to the reader well before the narrator character has learned them; it just ruins the surprise and mystery of things。I am certain fans of Ellis' earlier works will be eager to dive into his newest novel。 For the uninitiated， this might not be the best jumping on point though。 。。。more
Janelle Janson
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#SHEREADSWITHCATS REVIEW Thank you to the kind people at Knopf for providing me with a free copy。 I have been familiar with Bret Easton Ellis ever since I read AMERICAN PSYCHO way way back。 BEE’s writing is always sharp， clever， and oozes with dark humor。 So， OF COURSE， I needed to read his upcoming release THE SHARDS as quickly as possible。 I mean， it’s his first novel in 13 years！！！ I was Patrick-Bateman-excited to receive this copy and so I read。THE SHARDS is metafiction and just over 600 pag #SHEREADSWITHCATS REVIEW Thank you to the kind people at Knopf for providing me with a free copy。 I have been familiar with Bret Easton Ellis ever since I read AMERICAN PSYCHO way way back。 BEE’s writing is always sharp， clever， and oozes with dark humor。 So， OF COURSE， I needed to read his upcoming release THE SHARDS as quickly as possible。 I mean， it’s his first novel in 13 years！！！ I was Patrick-Bateman-excited to receive this copy and so I read。THE SHARDS is metafiction and just over 600 pages。 Bret and his tight knit circle of friends attend a prestigious prep school during 1980s Los Angeles， CA。 Sex， drugs， greed， and general debauchery ensue。 And like everything with BEE novels， the setting and his choice of era are always a character。 This is a dark and disturbing read - THE SHARDS will stay with me for a long long time。 Not to mention， there is a serial killer on the loose。 Need I say more？ Pub 1/17 。。。more
Stacy
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3。5I don't think that anything Ellis writes will ever live up to "American Psycho。" That was his defining masterpiece， and there's nothing wrong with that。 This novel is an intriguing read， but it meanders a lot and it takes a while to become exciting。 Anyone who is already a fan of the author's writing style will likely enjoy it， but I don't think a person who picks it up blind with no prior experience will necessarily have the patience for it。 （His tendency to use long， winding sentences that 3。5I don't think that anything Ellis writes will ever live up to "American Psycho。" That was his defining masterpiece， and there's nothing wrong with that。 This novel is an intriguing read， but it meanders a lot and it takes a while to become exciting。 Anyone who is already a fan of the author's writing style will likely enjoy it， but I don't think a person who picks it up blind with no prior experience will necessarily have the patience for it。 （His tendency to use long， winding sentences that seem to last forever， for example。 And his descriptions of driving aimlessly through Los Angeles。。。he tells you literally every street that the car turns onto， as if giving you real time directions。 I can see that getting old really fast。 Though I lived in L。A。 for a couple of years so it made me oddly nostalgic despite the silliness。） There wasn't as much of the disturbing stuff as I was hoping for when I saw that there would be a plotline involving a serial killer， though the material that did exist was vivid and thoroughly deranged。 （Ellis is very good at that。） And while I appreciated the mystery of the story， I felt like something was missing for me personally， but I'm not entirely sure what that was。 Writing this review， I only now am realizing that it lacked the surprising humor of "American Psycho，" also。 Not my favorite of his books， （obviously）， but it was decent。 I would recommend it to established fans。 （Biggest trigger warnings: Animal violence/death， sexual assault， lots and lots of drug use） 。。。more
April Bradford
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Ellis has once again created something to make the censors mad。This pseudobiographical novel blurs the lines of reality and fiction as we follow Bret himself in what he claims ‘really happened’， against the fictionalised serial killer， The Trawler。It’s gory， it’s a bit self-indulgent， the cast is privileged; it’s classic BEE。 That’s what makes it great。You’ll be drawn in by the intrigue of finding out some truth to Bret’s youth and connecting his characters to his real life classmates but you’ll Ellis has once again created something to make the censors mad。This pseudobiographical novel blurs the lines of reality and fiction as we follow Bret himself in what he claims ‘really happened’， against the fictionalised serial killer， The Trawler。It’s gory， it’s a bit self-indulgent， the cast is privileged; it’s classic BEE。 That’s what makes it great。You’ll be drawn in by the intrigue of finding out some truth to Bret’s youth and connecting his characters to his real life classmates but you’ll stay for the emotional and darkly funny heart of the novel/ memoir。——Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for this review copy。 。。。more
Michelle Smith
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The 80’s have barely begun and new high school senior Bret， is just seventeen， and he and his clique of popular cool friends are already jaded， and coasting through life comfortably numb， until things start to get decidedly uncomfortable…Way long， but pulled me under the bright-lights-of-LA-in-the-early-80’s vibe and I read it in far less time than I had originally anticipated。 I watched almost nothing during my reading of this because I didn't want to stop reading - I needed to know。 I haven't The 80’s have barely begun and new high school senior Bret， is just seventeen， and he and his clique of popular cool friends are already jaded， and coasting through life comfortably numb， until things start to get decidedly uncomfortable…Way long， but pulled me under the bright-lights-of-LA-in-the-early-80’s vibe and I read it in far less time than I had originally anticipated。 I watched almost nothing during my reading of this because I didn't want to stop reading - I needed to know。 I haven't had this level of antsy excitement about a book in… I don't even know when the last time was。 Seductive， and immersive， heady and wonderfully atmospheric， these are but a few descriptors I can accurately use to describe what I just read。 Speaking of， let me be among the many to congratulate the author on a seriously fantastic new novel。The Shards has a strong recommendation from me， and I’m still not entirely sure what I just read - okay， I just read that this was originally published as a podcast， which I was completely unaware of （I haven’t yet found a podcast that I actually want to listen to， and I gave up looking a few years ago）。 This story in that format makes sense to me and in my thinking - I would probably recommend listening to the audiobook of this one， as it’s read by the author。quotes that stood out for me - "Writing this now， I can't believe that I was left to my own devices for twenty minutes， just idly sitting there， thinking about things， about Thom and about Susan， waiting without a phone to look at， waiting without something to distract me。""Matt had never felt about me the way I'd felt about him， which would be a recurring theme for the rest of my life， though， of course， I didn't know this yet on that September afternoon in 1981， when I was seventeen and still navigated on hope。"* in the novel， the author mentions a young actress killed by one of the chefs at Ma Maison chef- this was Dominique Dunne （daughter of Dominick and Ellen Dunne， niece of Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne）， notably of Poltergeist。 More can be read about her and what her family suffered in Dominick Dunne’s past writings as well as articles online。 eARC kindly provided by A。A。 Knopf and NetGalley。 Opinions shared are my own。 。。。more
NPC
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Yet another fragment of coolly ironic metafiction from Bret Easton Ellis。 The setting is new， the characters are somewhat younger， but everything else about this novel will be very familiar to readers of Ellis's work。 At more than 600 pages， I couldn't help wondering what the point was。 He has performed all these tricks before -- the gratuitous clinical depravity， the quirky blending of autobiography and fiction， the ultra-dry satire。 What was fresh and provocative in the 90s now seems formulaic Yet another fragment of coolly ironic metafiction from Bret Easton Ellis。 The setting is new， the characters are somewhat younger， but everything else about this novel will be very familiar to readers of Ellis's work。 At more than 600 pages， I couldn't help wondering what the point was。 He has performed all these tricks before -- the gratuitous clinical depravity， the quirky blending of autobiography and fiction， the ultra-dry satire。 What was fresh and provocative in the 90s now seems formulaic。 It also doesn't help that in "The Shards" Ellis occasionally lapses into saccharine nostalgia for 1980s Los Angeles and his own adolescence。 Overall， this is not a bad novel， but it reeks of self-indulgence。 。。。more
Torrin Nelson
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This book is HOT。 This is Bret’s “The Secret History。” This book is an event。 I’m fully obsessed。
Megan Abbott
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utterly riveted by this book， which seemed to me a twisty， romantic riff on Raymond Chandler's noir classic The LONG GOODBYE， not in content but in obsessive fascination with， and nostalgia for， a lost Los Angeles。 And in the nearly paralyzing anxiety of the narrator， for whom fear and desire are a constant， are the only things。 So much to say about doubles， masks， secret lives， all the gorgeous noir tropes that buzz through the book。 utterly riveted by this book， which seemed to me a twisty， romantic riff on Raymond Chandler's noir classic The LONG GOODBYE， not in content but in obsessive fascination with， and nostalgia for， a lost Los Angeles。 And in the nearly paralyzing anxiety of the narrator， for whom fear and desire are a constant， are the only things。 So much to say about doubles， masks， secret lives， all the gorgeous noir tropes that buzz through the book。 。。。more
Macken Sloan
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This checked so many boxes for me， I loved it！ While many people refuse to read authors they do not morally align with， I have a big soft spot for Bret Easton Ellis’s fiction。 Sometimes it takes an author with a disagreeable contrarian perspective to write morally grey and unlikeable yet fascinating characters as well as he does。 It just makes sense。The Shards is messy， unsettling and suspenseful。 From the first page， I was immediately submerged straight into 1980s Southern California。 Every tim This checked so many boxes for me， I loved it！ While many people refuse to read authors they do not morally align with， I have a big soft spot for Bret Easton Ellis’s fiction。 Sometimes it takes an author with a disagreeable contrarian perspective to write morally grey and unlikeable yet fascinating characters as well as he does。 It just makes sense。The Shards is messy， unsettling and suspenseful。 From the first page， I was immediately submerged straight into 1980s Southern California。 Every time I had to put it down， I wanted to pick it right back up。 Highly recommended for fans of Ellis’s previous works and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History。Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC！ 。。。more
CaraDico
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