Less Than Zero

Bret Easton Ellis’ 1985 work “Less than Zero” tells the tale of the rich and elite part scene of the early 1980′s through the eyes of Clay, son of privilege who returns home from his posh life at Camden University in New Hampshire to his life of decadence in Los Angeles’ famed neighborhoods. As Clay first returns he seems struck that his friends continue life at normal, instead subconsciously wishing they would stop what they’re doing and acknowledge the fact that he has moved on in his life and has come back to visit. As the novel progresses the reader finds Clay progressively easing back into the elite social scene of the early 1980′s at all the clubs on Hollywood et al. This continues for a bit, until Clay grows disenfranchised with his friends lack of progress and maturation. One  of his friends turns into a male whore, and another one is into snuff films. Clay is the only one disturbed by the course his friends’ lives are on. Ultimately the decisions his friends have made lead to Clay leaving Los Angeles, and his return is questionable, even doubtful.

The book was pretty uninteresting, and didn’t really seem to make itself accessible. To me it seemed to be one of those books that was just arrogant to say, “If you don’t like it, then you don’t get it.” It was bogged down with boring, even artificial dialouge; and often left me wondering if any of this stuff ever happens, and by the end of it, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Not one of the better books I’ve ever read, though I should have known when the back of the cover said, “Catcher in the Rye for the MTV generation- Usa Today” It should have said “Catcher in the Rye for the generation that doesn’t really like literature” 2/5 stars at best.