TheChilly
07-19-2011, 05:44 PM
For anyone who's read "Less Than Zero", the world, characters, and prevalent themes present in 2010's "Imperial Bedrooms" should be familiar. In terms of the world, Ellis places the reader in L.A. again with a few minor differences, such as the battleground being in the entertainment industry (protagonist Clay comes back from New York as a hot-shot screenwriter casting for The Listeners, the title being an echo to his short-story collection of a similar name) and the rise of technology (such as the iPhone and text messaging, I promised someone I wouldn't tell you. -- pg. 31). The pacing of "Imperial Bedrooms" is also faster, more suspenseful (hence the nod to Raymond Chandler and other elements of "noir", such as the femme-fatale in Rain Turner, I'm guessing) Despite the times changing and a new era commencing, the cast of Less Than Zero, including Blair (Clay's ex-girlfriend), her husband Trent, former dealer Rip (looking more horrifying thanks to plastic surgery), and tragic character Julian (who's up to no good this time around). A few things are for certain... things are still not right and they're still afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles (This is first hinted in its opening sentence: "They had made a movie about us.").
Despite the huge parallels to Bret's debut novel in terms of nihilism and the constant paranoia, I also noted a parallel in violence to American Psycho in terms of its vivid brutality (such as Julian's death on the closing pages... pg. 162, which is a nod to the film adaptation of Less Than Zero if not a scathing attack on it, as Ellis stated his previous hatred for the film and how it "betrayed" the original material), along with the gloss and glam of 1998's Glamorama within the character of Rain Turner, a young actress desperate for a place in Clay's new movie. One can sense it through the high life each of these characters throw themselves into and the superficiality within.
My only complaint was that I wish it were longer, but it isn't important to how well-executed it is as a companion piece and successor to Ellis' first novel, especially as a page-turner (I always saw Ellis' works as page-turners, but here I was seeing elements of page-turners meshed with Ellis' trademark style and themes). People will love it or hate it, but that's Ellis. Either you love his works or you hate his works, but one will find his style evident throughout (such as run-on sentences like: "Kelly Montrose was rumored to be with the Hispanic actress who had been found in the mass grave right before Christmas. The last sighting of him was on a tennis court in Palm Springs one afternoon in mid-December..." pg. 58). I wouldn't say that it hit its peak, but I will say that once the novel closes, Ellis seems to come full-circle with not only himself, but through his world, his cast of characters, and the hint that an era is coming to an end and a possibility of a new future is coming on for better or worse: "I now want to explain these things to her but I know I never will, the most important one being: I never liked anyone and I'm afraid of people." -- 1985-2010 (pg. 169). The closing date could mean and clarify Ellis' path as an author and an uncertain future for Clay and his remaining circle of friends. Either way, the closing line confirms that people are still afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.
-- Chilly
Despite the huge parallels to Bret's debut novel in terms of nihilism and the constant paranoia, I also noted a parallel in violence to American Psycho in terms of its vivid brutality (such as Julian's death on the closing pages... pg. 162, which is a nod to the film adaptation of Less Than Zero if not a scathing attack on it, as Ellis stated his previous hatred for the film and how it "betrayed" the original material), along with the gloss and glam of 1998's Glamorama within the character of Rain Turner, a young actress desperate for a place in Clay's new movie. One can sense it through the high life each of these characters throw themselves into and the superficiality within.
My only complaint was that I wish it were longer, but it isn't important to how well-executed it is as a companion piece and successor to Ellis' first novel, especially as a page-turner (I always saw Ellis' works as page-turners, but here I was seeing elements of page-turners meshed with Ellis' trademark style and themes). People will love it or hate it, but that's Ellis. Either you love his works or you hate his works, but one will find his style evident throughout (such as run-on sentences like: "Kelly Montrose was rumored to be with the Hispanic actress who had been found in the mass grave right before Christmas. The last sighting of him was on a tennis court in Palm Springs one afternoon in mid-December..." pg. 58). I wouldn't say that it hit its peak, but I will say that once the novel closes, Ellis seems to come full-circle with not only himself, but through his world, his cast of characters, and the hint that an era is coming to an end and a possibility of a new future is coming on for better or worse: "I now want to explain these things to her but I know I never will, the most important one being: I never liked anyone and I'm afraid of people." -- 1985-2010 (pg. 169). The closing date could mean and clarify Ellis' path as an author and an uncertain future for Clay and his remaining circle of friends. Either way, the closing line confirms that people are still afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles.
-- Chilly