The audacity of The Shards
why Bret Easton Ellis' latest book proves he hasn't changed a bit
Over the next few months I will be sharing some reworked older pieces that I published when there were a lot less of you. This is one of my favorite backlist titles for a maniacal summer so it’s the perfect time to remind you now. - Nat
Bret Easton Ellis is too “toxic male” for 2024. For the decade. For anything but the 1980s.
But you should still read his work.
I can hear the hollers - what is this reverse sexism???
Books exist in the cultural and political context of the time, both written and received within that original context. Trends - feelings - vibes change. Currently, we see a movement in literature toward inclusivity and expanding the discourse beyond old, dead white people. We see one of sensitivity to women, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community. Consumers are no longer limited to what they can find at the local bookstore and, therefore, choose accordingly.
Then, of course, there is the counter-culture claiming all our books are harming children; we must lock them up, or everyone will dress in drag from seeing a trans person. I know these people must exist on the internet but I stay far away from wherever that is.
Bret Easton Ellis (BBE), as an author and a cultural icon, doesn’t really fit either narrative.
This is the audacious part…
He’s “old”, he’s white, he’s privileged. His books are shocking and self-indulgent, violent and graphic. His work has been called misogynist, offensive, and death-threat-worthy, apparently1. Yet he’s so Gen X it’s impossible to hear him over his playlist of glaring indifference. His novels are a literal nightmare of apathy.
What a combo! So why am I dedicating an entire review to this man’s work?
Because I like it. He pushes the limits and I love that. He challenges me to think about what “good” writing is. Nobody else captures the absolute unconcern of privileged young adults like his narrators. I often wonder what type of drugs he’s on and if I could have some.
I also think it’s very important to keep space for uncomfortable art. Art can be many things (a warm hug, a thrill, etc.), but it would be a disservice to eliminate anything on the edge simply because it might be offensive to someone somewhere (the argument of whether his work holds artistic value is for another day).
If you know anything about Bret Easton Ellis’ work, you already know what his newest book is like. The plot may be a mystery (until I tell you about it right now), but the vibe is quintessential BEE - shocking, disgusting, enthralling, ambitious, and seductively confusing. The Shards will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about good writing.
The Shards
Ellis returns to his favorite decade once again in this autofictional crime story about an unstable teenage boy who suspects the new hot guy at school is a serial killer. As always, Ellis is the center of the narrative, this time as his teenage “self” Bret. In an increasingly psychotic narrative stream, Bret takes us from the days of summer trying to play hide the snake with his secret best buds to the traumatic school days of senior year at a private prep school in LA - all while narrating every single freeway taken and every. single. song. that ever played, ever. It’s like an episode of The Californians.
A part of me asked, “Is this actually bad writing?” for about the first 50 pages - it’s borderline stream-of-consciousness, obsessive, strange, and detailed in a way you might imagine someone with OCD would catalog things to feel calm.
But then “Bret the narrator” pulls you into his psychosis so expertly you forget that you might have been questioning his creator’s talent and the opinions of millions(?) of people who read his books. The pieces come together, and it’s like there was no other way to write this story. This is the story. The Shards is a menacing LA fever dream that you cannot escape.
No one in this story is likable. It reminds me of Clueless if everyone in Clueless took a lot of drugs and behaved badly. It’s the 1980s, so no cell phones - people must drive around (or call home phones!) to find each other. Physical space regulates the emotional space - as Bret drives farther and more deeply into the desolate hills, his mind an echo of that isolation, we see him lose hold of reality. As he swirls about the winding roads, his dark paranoia closes in until it peaks in shocking acts of violence. It’s like watching a cat circle a mouse, lazily batting until the final pounce.
I know I am predisposed to like this novel because of its autofictional frame. Ellis has been known to break the fourth wall, to let the story leak out and blur the edges of narrative form, calling the reader in. This occurs even more so as our narrator is literally a proxy for the author - same name, same eventual profession. It’s like giving us a taste of himself - the author, the myth - and fueling our own obsessions with art and the artist. He sacrifices his intimate self to us, the same way “Bret the narrator” sheds his innocence in an attempt to uncover the “truth”. As Bret goes round and round deeper into his lists, obsessions, conversations, paranoia, so do we drive with him shotgun into the endless detail of his life.
Verdict👩⚖️: Moral of the story? I will immediately read anything this man publishes forever.
For Fans Of 🖤: mostly just Bret Easton Ellis, maybe some Chuck Palahniuk, or if you can handle the male version of Ottessa Moshfegh.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what others on the internet think about The Shards…
My favorite 5 star review of this book on Goodreads is from OutlawPoet:
There are some authors who have a voice so unique that their books simply couldn’t be written by anyone else. Bret Easton Ellis is one of those and this is one of the most Bret Easton Ellis books I’ve ever read lol. I say this because if you’ve read him before and hated him, you’ll hate this. If you’ve loved him, you should love this one.
COULDN’T AGREE MORE OUTLAW.
My favorite 1 star review of this book on Goodreads is from Maureen:
A whole lot less time writing about jerking off would have been helpful. Way too much filler that did not add to the story.
ALSO NOT WRONG MAUREEN. NOT WRONG.
****
To wrap this up, in true Natalie fashion [since I too make sense of the world by cataloging, organizing, and collecting things], I present The Shards: An ‘80s Spotify playlist, containing every song mentioned in the book. It is a public playlist that you can enjoy right now from the comfort of your own earbuds. If this playlist doesn’t get you amped up to read about freaky teenage drama, I don’t know what will.
Happy listening!
Have you read any Bret Easton Ellis? What do you think? Or if you hate him, what are some of your lifetime favorite auto-buy authors? Are there authors you read in your early years that have stuck with you?
FURTHER READING 💻→
The NY Review of Books discusses BEE’s nightmarish dreamscapes.
Regardless of BookTok, GQ thinks we’re still living in BEE’s world.
This throwback to 1991 when BEE discussed the reaction to American Psycho.
Hear BEE himself discuss why Gen X wanted to be offended.
The Guardian’s review of The Shards.
In Case You Missed It 🖤
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See you around the bookshelf!
Natalie
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/06/books/bret-easton-ellis-answers-critics-of-american-psycho.html
!!! I haven't heard much about The Shards but it doesn't take much to sell me on a BEE book. For better or for worse, I am so into writers with frightening levels of audacity... it's fascinating what people are/n't willing to write and where we draw our boundaries for what is "acceptable."
My new/used/unread copy of Glamorama is staring at me from the bookshelf, maybe it's time...
This playlist though 😍😍😍
I was giggling and smiling the whole time I was reading your review. Thank you for always giving us the most entertaining, hilarious reviews on Substack 🫶🏼