Clay returns to Los Angeles from his eastern college for the winter break, and he drifts through a round of parties, nightclubs, and drives with friends who are rich, bored, and numb. He sees his ex-girlfriend Blair, his sisters, and his divorced parents, and he spends time with his friend Julian, who is spiraling into drug use and prostitution. Bret Easton Ellis writes in short, flat paragraphs with little explanation of motive, so the emptiness of the characters is felt through repetition. The title comes from a song on the radio, and the book signals a generation without feeling.
It suits readers interested in 1980s American fiction and in minimalist, deadpan prose. It is short, bleak, and often upsetting.
Thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1985
- Language
- EN
