The setting: 1981, Los Angeles. Bret, the seventeen year old protagonist, has been left alone for several months in his parent’s luxurious Mulholland Drive home. Entering his senior year at a prestigious private school, Bret spends his time between school and romping among the playgrounds of the rich. Bret is a popular student, but has a secret. On the outside he’s straight and superficial. On the inside, he’s a closeted homosexual, having sex with two boys at his school.
Bret becomes increasingly obsessed with a serial killer, named The Trawler, who is terrorizing the city of LA.
At the beginning of the book, Ellis draws the reader in with his suspenseful and lyrical writing. The story slows down in the middle of the book, and meanders with too much exposition. It’s a long book, at 600 pages. Ellis covers his usual bases of gratuitous violence, explicit sex scenes, drugs, music, and plenty of teenage ennui. Recommend if you’re a fan of Bret Easton Ellis. You won’t be disappointed.
Thank you to Knopf Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy.
MJ Reads 