Name: Janes Breitenbach's review of The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
Item: The Shards
Rating: 5
Author: Janes Breitenbach

Bret Easton Ellis

A novel of sensational literary and psychological suspense from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged high school friends in a vibrantly fictionalized 1980s Los Angeles as a serial killer strikes across the city Bret Easton Ellis’s masterful new novel is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city. Seventeen-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them—and Bret in particular—with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. The coincidences are uncanny, but they are also filtered through the imagination of a teenager whose gifts for constructing narrative from the filaments of his own life are about to make him one of the most explosive literary sensations of his generation. Can he trust his friends—or his own mind—to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, he spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between the Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision. Set against the intensely vivid and nostalgic backdrop of pre-Less Than Zero L.A., The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction, the real and the imagined, that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at seventeen—sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting, and often darkly funny, The Shards is Ellis at his inimitable best.

A novel

The Shards

LA, 1981. Buckley College in heat. 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends, even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence.

Can he trust his friends – or his own mind – to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision.

Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at 17 – sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage.

hessensitive

alexi gunner

"It's about young people," I confirmed. I remember what Terry said to What do they do? Terry asked, glancing up at me as he kept eating. I didn't know how to answer this because it didn't matter to me what the characters did. They existed, and I just wanted to convey a mood, immerse a reader into a particular atmosphere that was built from carefully selected details. What did the young people do? This suggested there was a plot, a story that was going to resolve itself. They hung out, they listened to music, they had sex, they went to clubs, sometimes they consumed drugs, they attended parties in ansions where there were pools and tennis courts and Screening Rooms, they drove aimlessly around the city at night, their parents wer absent, they went shopping along Rodeo, they moved through the world alone, they stared at chandeliers high on acid.

Janes Breitenbach

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A novel of sensational literary and psychological suspense from the best-selling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged high school friends in a vibrantly fictionalized 1980s Los Angeles as a serial killer strikes across the city “A thrilling page turner from Ellis, who revisits the world that made him a literary star with a stylish scary new story that doesn't disappoint.” –Town & Country Bret Easton Ellis’s masterful new novel is a story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city. Seventeen-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equaled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them—and Bret in particular—with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. The coincidences are uncanny, but they are also filtered through the imagination of a teenager whose gifts for constructing narrative from the filaments of his own life are about to make him one of the most explosive literary sensations of his generation. Can he trust his friends—or his own mind—to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, he spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between the Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision. Set against the intensely vivid and nostalgic backdrop of pre-Less Than Zero L.A., The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction, the real and the imagined, that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at seventeen—sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting, and often darkly funny, The Shards is Ellis at his inimitable best.

I genuinely do not know where to start with this review, so forgive me in advance if this is a little all over the place.

I picked up this book on a whim after watching a Youtube video that said they got so invested into the story that just looking at the book would pull them back in, that it clouded their mind so much it took weeks to get back into reading other books because they were stuck in this world that Bret Easton Ellis has created and I can say that, without a doubt, this review of it is spot on. It throws you completely into one time and place and it holds you hostage there.

To me, at least, this book was absolutely enthralling. It is undoubtedly the most enjoyable book I have ever read, and I am shocked it is not more popular! 

I found it started off rather slow, but not in a way that annoyed me, but rather it took the time to get me into the world and into Bret's (the character version) mind. The amount of exposition, while it was not all necessary, created such a vivid visual experience while reading this book I could not help but get invested. I found the humour and wit to be perfectly entwined in the story, and I love how Ellis poked fun at his own upbringing, with our main characters all being rich private school students in Los Angeles. It felt so effortless, which created a timeless feel to it, and I cannot stress enough how much it got me invested in the story. 

Despite the book being horror, I actually found it to be more of a mystery novel with horror aspects woven into it. Or maybe I have a skewed perception of what a horror novel is. Either way, I did not find myself getting scared reading, but rather I found myself asking lots of questions and when the tension began to build up I would find myself physically reacting— my heart was pounding, I was shaking and I was tearing up. I could feel it deep in my stomach, the anxiety. It was such a strange experience I did not expect a book to bring me such a visceral, physical reaction to reading it, and yet I found myself feeling it so often whilst reading, especially once I got to the latter half of it.

A common complaint I have seen is that it drags at points, and that there is too much explaining, both of which I feel immensely add a positive effect to the reading experience. While yes, Ellis describes (quite literally) every single detail, it creates such a vivid image that you cannot help but be sucked in. The points in which I felt a lull, I believe they were very strategically placed and timed to make the tension rise, and so the action had an even bigger impact than if it had been 

One thing that did put me off initially was the amount of sexual scenes, however I did find a lot of the reasoning behind Bret's (the character) sexual actions to portray a rather interesting exploration of sexuality and sexual repression that existed in the 1980s, especially for characters that inhabit a rather small minded community. I love how Bret's bisexuality was explored, and how his relationships with other boys were portrayed. I also found it fascinating how his relationship with Terry was explored, and as someone who has been in a similar sexually exploitative relationship, thought Bret's reaction and feelings toward it were very realistic for a victim in denial. 

Every character felt real, every conversation felt genuine, and I truly believe this book is a masterpiece. It is everything I did not know I wanted in a book. I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator, and by the time you finish the book and see how the events unfold, the realisation that your perception of it has been skewed by Bret's own actions and beliefs becomes quite sobering as you're dropped into the reality of it. 

The book concludes with a rather ambiguous ending, and while at first I felt a little let down by it, ultimately I realised it was a good idea. You aren't supposed to have all of the answers, and instead, you are supposed to be left with the bleak feelings that come with nostalgia. The feeling was palpable, the longing of wanting to go back, the regret of how things ended, the loneliness of never having friendships like what you once had again. It was just perfect. 

This book for me exceeds a five star rating, and it makes all my other five star reads feel like three stars by comparison. I could happily be left on a deserted island with just this book to read for the rest of my life; there is so much to explore, so much to learn and understand about these characters, I could reread it again tomorrow and find the same amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from the experience. When I die, let me reincarnate as this book. It would still not be enough for me.

iris may

I genuinely do not know where to start with this review, so forgive me in advance if this is a little all over the place.

I picked up this book on a whim after watching a Youtube video that said they got so invested into the story that just looking at the book would pull them back in, that it clouded their mind so much it took weeks to get back into reading other books because they were stuck in this world that Bret Easton Ellis has created and I can say that, without a doubt, this review of it is spot on. It throws you completely into one time and place and it holds you hostage there.

To me, at least, this book was absolutely enthralling. It is undoubtedly the most enjoyable book I have ever read, and I am shocked it is not more popular! 

I found it started off rather slow, but not in a way that annoyed me, but rather it took the time to get me into the world and into Bret's (the character version) mind. The amount of exposition, while it was not all necessary, created such a vivid visual experience while reading this book I could not help but get invested. I found the humour and wit to be perfectly entwined in the story, and I love how Ellis poked fun at his own upbringing, with our main characters all being rich private school students in Los Angeles. It felt so effortless, which created a timeless feel to it, and I cannot stress enough how much it got me invested in the story. 

Despite the book being horror, I actually found it to be more of a mystery novel with horror aspects woven into it. Or maybe I have a skewed perception of what a horror novel is. Either way, I did not find myself getting scared reading, but rather I found myself asking lots of questions and when the tension began to build up I would find myself physically reacting— my heart was pounding, I was shaking and I was tearing up. I could feel it deep in my stomach, the anxiety. It was such a strange experience I did not expect a book to bring me such a visceral, physical reaction to reading it, and yet I found myself feeling it so often whilst reading, especially once I got to the latter half of it.

A common complaint I have seen is that it drags at points, and that there is too much explaining, both of which I feel immensely add a positive effect to the reading experience. While yes, Ellis describes (quite literally) every single detail, it creates such a vivid image that you cannot help but be sucked in. The points in which I felt a lull, I believe they were very strategically placed and timed to make the tension rise, and so the action had an even bigger impact than if it had been bam bam bam. 

One thing that did put me off initially was the amount of sexual scenes, however I did find a lot of the reasoning behind Bret's (the character) sexual actions to portray a rather interesting exploration of sexuality and sexual repression that existed in the 1980s, especially for characters that inhabit a rather small minded community. I love how Bret's bisexuality was explored, and how his relationships with other boys were portrayed. I also found it fascinating how his relationship with Terry was explored, and as someone who has been in a similar sexually exploitative relationship, thought Bret's reaction and feelings toward it were very realistic for a victim in denial. 

Every character felt real, every conversation felt genuine, and I truly believe this book is a masterpiece. It is everything I did not know I wanted in a book. I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator, and by the time you finish the book and see how the events unfold, the realisation that your perception of it has been skewed by Bret's own actions and beliefs becomes quite sobering as you're dropped into the reality of it. 

The book concludes with a rather ambiguous ending, and while at first I felt a little let down by it, ultimately I realised it was a good idea. You aren't supposed to have all of the answers, and instead, you are supposed to be left with the bleak feelings that come with nostalgia. The feeling was palpable, the longing of wanting to go back, the regret of how things ended, the loneliness of never having friendships like what you once had again. It was just perfect. 

This book for me exceeds a five star rating, and it makes all my other five star reads feel like three stars by comparison. I could happily be left on a deserted island with just this book to read for the rest of my life; there is so much to explore, so much to learn and understand about these characters, I could reread it again tomorrow and find the same amount of enjoyment and satisfaction from the experience. When I die, let me reincarnate as this book. It would still not be enough for me.

Has the same apathetic, 'numbness as a feeling' vibe that Less Than Zero had which I find strangely enjoyable. The ending fell a little flat though the book was filled with suspenseful scenes providing a liberal amount of shock value. 

g.m.

Kinda obsessed with this, and it convinced me that Bret Easton Ellis might actually be worth reading. It has everything I could ever want: a delusional narrator, the collapse of a friend group, is about a murder but isn’t /about/ the murder. Could not put it down and could not anticipate what came next. 

Jacque

Really liked this one. I’ve read all from Ellis and this one is the best so far I think. It’s the 80’s, it’s Californian bratty kids, drugs, expensive cars and bloody horror. 

Andreas Jennische

marlisa

Alithea

Los Ángeles, 1981. A sus diecisiete años, Bret está a punto de empezar su último curso de secundaria en Buckley junto a su exclusivo y sofisticado grupo de amigos: Thom, Susan y Debbie, novia de Bret, experimentan con el sexo, el alcohol y las drogas mientras aprovechan los últimos días de verano. Pero este sueño paradisiaco se desmorona con la llegada de un nuevo alumno: Robert Mallory es brillante, guapo y carismático, pero algo en él no encaja, y nadie más que Bret parece darse cuenta de que ese algo podría estar relacionado con la aparición del Arrastrero, un asesino en serie que amenaza a los adolescentes de la ciudad y a sus mascotas.

Los destrozos

Miguel Angel Palmer Salva

Lorenzo Caputo

A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city. His first novel in 13 years, The Shards is Bret Easton Ellis at his inimitable best. LA, 1981. Buckley College in heat. 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends, even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence. Can he trust his friends – or his own mind – to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision. Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at 17 – sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage.

Emma

Udit Desai

"A story about the end of innocence, and the perilous passage from adolescence into adulthood, set in a vibrantly fictionalized Los Angeles in 1981 as a serial killer begins targeting teenagers throughout the city"--

Janes Breitenbach &
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

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Janes Breitenbach &The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

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Janes Breitenbach &
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis