The Shards
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- Create Date：2022-12-11 07:51:52
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Bret Easton Ellis
- ISBN：1800752296
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Summary
A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city。 His first novel in 12 years， The Shards is Bret Easton Ellis at his inimitable best。
Los Angeles， 1981 -17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past。 Robert Mallory is bright， handsome， charismatic， and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends， even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle。 Bret's obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler， a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends， taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific， sharply local acts of violence。
Can he trust his friends - or his own mind - to make sense of the danger they appear to be in？ Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires， buffeted by unhealthy fixations， Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision。
Gripping， sly， suspenseful， deeply haunting and often darkly funny， The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret's life at 17 - sex and jealousy， obsession and murderous rage。
Los Angeles， 1981 -17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past。 Robert Mallory is bright， handsome， charismatic， and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends， even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle。 Bret's obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler， a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends， taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific， sharply local acts of violence。
Can he trust his friends - or his own mind - to make sense of the danger they appear to be in？ Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires， buffeted by unhealthy fixations， Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision。
Gripping， sly， suspenseful， deeply haunting and often darkly funny， The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret's life at 17 - sex and jealousy， obsession and murderous rage。
Reviews
Greg
，
Ellis insists that the events depicted in this book actually happened and their horrific nature affected him psychologically for years。 Oddly， their ultimate truth or fact just does not seem to matter all that much for the story。 Indeed， an Internet search for “The Trawler” or serial killers with similar MO’s in 1980s Los Angeles comes up empty。 At its extreme， Ellis insists that there may be some mysterious conspiracy to hide the truth。 After all， we DO live in an age of “fake news” and corrupt Ellis insists that the events depicted in this book actually happened and their horrific nature affected him psychologically for years。 Oddly， their ultimate truth or fact just does not seem to matter all that much for the story。 Indeed， an Internet search for “The Trawler” or serial killers with similar MO’s in 1980s Los Angeles comes up empty。 At its extreme， Ellis insists that there may be some mysterious conspiracy to hide the truth。 After all， we DO live in an age of “fake news” and corrupt people in powerful positions。The complex plot has three linked topics: nostalgic reminisces of the LA landscape in the 80s; the coming-of-age of a closeted gay teen who aspires to become a writer; and a true crime story about an insane serial killer targeting teens。 Adult Ellis is the narrator and teen Ellis is the protagonist。 The latter is in his final year of high school at LA’s exclusive Buckley Prep。 His friends are mostly entitled， self-involved， and largely unsupervised。 This group of teens is indeed hard to like。 In them， Ellis captures an empty and numbing mood accentuated by drugs， sex， and access to far too much material wealth。 Adult supervision is absent。 Most of the adults in the novel are deeply flawed or just plain absent from their kid’s lives。 So， these characters， on the verge of adulthood， get most of their validation from each other while spending large amounts of time alone in their expensive cars or empty mansions。 Ellis consistently refers to his own home as the “empty house on Mulholland。”Ellis is at his best when nostalgically characterizing the LA of his youth。 He is meticulous about its pop culture， especially the music， movies， restaurants， and malls。 Teen Ellis spends large amounts of time driving around the city， mostly at night， and adult Ellis treats these forays with cinematic mastery。 Clearly， these are the best part of the book and the work of a skilled screen writer。The depiction of the protagonist’s homosexual and writerly urges are unfortunately not up to that standard。 Instead， they get a more casual treatment。 One senses that young Ellis expected all along to be accepted and successful at both with little need to struggle。 Clearly， this has been the case for adult Ellis， but the absence of any teenage angst surrounding these important parts of a developing persona seems unusual and unbelievable。The true crime aspect of the novel is its least successful part。 The absence of any record of such a serial killer casts a cloud over Ellis claims。 Nevertheless， he succeeds in using it to create a tense， suspenseful and haunting mood。 However， his attempts to link this to teen Ellis and his friends seems awkward and contrived。 Particularly jarring is his freakish obsession with the new kid， Robert Mallory， who comes to LA with a checkered history， but is openly embraced by his peers。 One wonders if petty jealousy may play a role in this plot element。Ellis’ skill with metafictional horror is on display in THE SHARDS。 However， its close resemblance to his previous work suggests laziness and an absence of new ideas。 The novel also is marred by being far too long。 Although necessary parts of serialized podcasts， the repetitions and digressions tend to interfere with momentum with the novel genre。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Bret Easton Ellis， most famous for his books American Psycho and Less than Zero， has penned a wicked tale， one that is at once bewildering， terrifying， and completely absorbing。 "We were teenagers distracted by sex and pop music， movies and celebrity， lust and ephemera and our own neutral innocence。"We go back to the days when Bret himself was a senior at the private Buckley School in Sherman Oaks， CA。 The year is 1981。 He and his uber wealthy friends plan to spend their final year in high s Bret Easton Ellis， most famous for his books American Psycho and Less than Zero， has penned a wicked tale， one that is at once bewildering， terrifying， and completely absorbing。 "We were teenagers distracted by sex and pop music， movies and celebrity， lust and ephemera and our own neutral innocence。"We go back to the days when Bret himself was a senior at the private Buckley School in Sherman Oaks， CA。 The year is 1981。 He and his uber wealthy friends plan to spend their final year in high school under the haze of alcohol， cocaine， quaaludes， and anything else they can get their greedy little hands on。 Kids with "a what-the-fuck entitlement" as they are described in the book。 The year starts off well enough until a new kid， Robert Mallory， joins the mix。 Bret is curious as to why someone would transfer from Chicago to LA in their final year in high school。 He immediately gets bad vibes from Robert yet his friends are all welcoming him into their elite group。 Meanwhile， in the background of this story is The Trawler， a serial killer that is targeting， torturing， and killing young women。 Bret gets obsessed with the story yet no one else seems to be paying attention。 Certainly none of his friends are interested。 Maybe it's the writer in him but he begins to build a time line of the murders and they all coincide with Robert Mallory coming and going from LA。 Is it possible that Robert is The Trawler？ This book is a hard book to describe。 It seems semi-autobiographical but it really is a work of fiction。 I hit up Google many times while reading this to try and figure out what is real and what isn't。 The Trawler was a serial killer in LA in 1981 but he targeted elderly women。 Bret took that story and spun it to fit the narrative of this book and it was super successful。 I was creeped out and chilled to the bone on several occasions。 Having said that please be warned that this book is not for the faint of heart。 The descriptions of the murders for some will be beyond disturbing and nightmare inducing。 As a reader you will also have to endure all sorts of debauchery。 If teens getting high and having sex is a no no for you then move right along。 I would describe this book as hypersexual。 There is a lot of male/male sex， some male/female sex， and a whole lot of masturbation。 I've mentioned before that I don't need to know all the nitty gritty details of sex in my books but it does work here because there is absolutely nothing erotic about it。 It sets the tone and atmosphere of not only the place but the time being 1981 when homosexuality was still firmly in the closet。 What is stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the length。 This book is over 600 pages long and incredibly dense。 There is a lot of text on the page so you can't just fly through this。 This book demands that you take your time。 I personally think an editor could trim this down and make this book a masterpiece。 For example there is a lot of driving around the LA area: I took Avenue of the Stars and would make a left onto Santa Monica and then drive South Beverly Glen until it hit Bel Air Road where I would swing a right onto Bellagio， which would take us to Stone Canyon。 I was on the freeway and realized in a daze that I was flying through the Cahuenga Pass when I saw the Hollywood Cross lit above the Ford Ampitheatre and I found myself racing across the 101 passing through Burbank and Studio City and then Sherman Oaks and Encino and Tarzana， until I was out in Woodland Hills， where I drove through the now empty parking lot of the Promenade。Now for someone from the area this may be really cool but for someone like myself on the East coast all these driving scenes got a little tedious because I wasn't able to visualize them at all。 Maybe I should have pulled up a Google map of the area but， come on， who really wants to put that much work into reading a book。 So yeah， my only complaint is some editing because this book is sensational otherwise。 A+ for the cover art as well。 4 stars！ TW: ALL OF THEMThank you to NetGalley and Knopf for my complimentary copy。 。。。more
Paolo Latini
，
Torna Bret Easton Ellis， e dopo il deludente quanto imbarazzante White torna alla narrativa e in grande stile。 In realtà The Shards è stato pensato， imbastatito e raccontato prima del rovinoso memoir di due anni fa: Ellis ha annunciato l’idea in un tweet del 2013 （“New Novel: Robert Mallory is a high school student and serial killer in 1981 Los Angeles”） e ha iniziato a “raccontarlo” nel suo podcast a partire dal 2020， convinto （o molto bravo a fingersi convito） di non trovare un editore dispost Torna Bret Easton Ellis， e dopo il deludente quanto imbarazzante White torna alla narrativa e in grande stile。 In realtà The Shards è stato pensato， imbastatito e raccontato prima del rovinoso memoir di due anni fa: Ellis ha annunciato l’idea in un tweet del 2013 （“New Novel: Robert Mallory is a high school student and serial killer in 1981 Los Angeles”） e ha iniziato a “raccontarlo” nel suo podcast a partire dal 2020， convinto （o molto bravo a fingersi convito） di non trovare un editore disposto a pubblicare un testo del genere in mezzo alla sovrasensibilità degli anni ’20。 A dire il vero è più fumo che altro: la descrizione lapidaria del tweet faceva già pensare a un American Psycho Reloaded， e a conti fatti col libro in mano， le scene scabrose si riducono a sbrigativo sesso adolescenziale， droghe a fiumi， qualche intermezzo di violenza efferata， insomma cose già ampiamente sdoganate anche nelle serie televisive più politically correct。 E il riferimento alle serie televisive non è un caso: la prima parte di The Shards ti proietta in una Los Angeles ricca molto， ma molto simile a quella che può esserti familiare se sei cresciuto con Beverly Hills 90210 o in mezzo alle sue varie filiazioni， losangeline e non。 Ci sono i classici adolescenti ricchi e annoiati che vagabonano per una Los Angeles fredda e indifferente su Porsche， BMW， 450s e Jaguar， che abusano di tutto il catalogo di droghe dalla marijuana alla cocaina fino a psicofarmaci e antidolorifici usati a scopo ricreativo， ci sono il liceo， le feste di liceo， le dinamiche di coppia e di gruppo， i film， la musica， cheerleader， sportivi e reietti。 La cosa interessante è che Ellis ha fin da subito presentato il nuovo romanzo come un memoir， la storia della sua adolescenza durante il suo terzo anno in un liceo di Sherman Oaks， il narratore si chiama Bret Easton Ellis， sta scrivendo quello che sarà Less Than Zero， sulla scia della sua ammirazione per Joan Didion （cosa che lo separa nettamente dall’altra fetta di “minimalisti” anni ottanta， figli di Carver）， ma fin da subito si capisce che è un memoir con una forte componente finzionale， con fantomatici serial killer con un modus operandi molto simile a quello di Charles Manson。 Già nella nota introduttiva della ARC Ellis ci dice che l’idea per The Shards gli era venuta addirittura nello stesso anno in cui si svolgono gli eventi narrati， il 1981， e gli era venuta perché gli piaceva come la scrittura riuscisse a “riformulare il mondo dentro una finzione，” e sentiva che l’immaginazione degli scrittori potesse “riordinare e distorcere il mondo nel quale essi stessi vivono。”Fatti e finzioni mescolati insieme， dunque。 Niente di nuovo， soprattutto oggi che gli scaffali delle librerie sono pieni zeppi di autobiografie， memoir e storie personali anche di autori emergenti。 Niente di nuovo neanche all’interno del canone Ellissiano， dove tutti i romanzi che ha scritto finiscono per coagularsi in un unica perversa forma di biografia。 Quello che aggiunge The Shards è un tocco estremamente personale， e non tanto perché racconta eventi reali （cosa che non fa， o che fa ma nascondendoli sotto una cappa irreale）， ma perché entra nel vivo del territorio psicologico della sua stessa adolescenza， dei suoi desideri， le sue aspirazioni， le costrizioni， l’attrito che sentiva con le convenzioni sociali dell’epoca。 In un passo in cui l’Ellis scrittore cinquantenne si sovrappone all’Ellis diciassettenne semi-inventato confessa Il esso e i romanzi e la musica e i film erano le cose che rendevano il mondo sopportabile—non gli amici， non la famiglia， non la scuola， non le relazioni sociali—e quella era l’estate in cui ogni settimana andavo a vedere I predatori dell’Arca perduta ma avrò cenato appena un paio di volte con i miei genitori divorziati。 E questo mi veniva ricordato quasi costantemente si da quando ero intrappolato in un’eccitazione adolescenziale che schizzava nella stratosfera e era costantemente attivata da cose che trovavo erotiche—e che non avrei mai potuto avere- Questo era il mio unico punto di riferimento。”Per tutto il libro continua a incamerassi come “lo scrittore，” autore del proprio destino o interprete degli eventi che vede， scrive le altre persone esattamente come le altre persone， probabilmente， scrivono lui， si rende conto di come tutto “diventa davvero facile quando fingi e anzi diventa persino più reale a causa del tuo atteggiamento modificato; la recita diventa realtà e infetta tutto il resto in modi positivi。 Di fatto， è preferibile alla realtà。” The Shards è una storia inventata， una storia macabra， violenta， una versione della propria vita che nessuno vorrebbe vivere， ma per quanto finta forse è proprio questa versione macabra e efferata che rappresenta e racconta al meglio lo stato d’animo di chi l’ha inventata e scritta。 。。。more
Aaron Brown
，
Definitely a fascinating book to read and some of the better stuff coming from Ellis in years。 There is a lot to like， some not to like。 I treated it and read it as a novel but Ellis has said publicly that it is a memoir and that this is a true story of his senior year in high school。 But it is written like a novel with the benefit of 2022's hindsight。 Anyway， the book is unlike any other coming of age or high school story you will ever read。 It is dark and graphic， an exploration of sexuality， Definitely a fascinating book to read and some of the better stuff coming from Ellis in years。 There is a lot to like， some not to like。 I treated it and read it as a novel but Ellis has said publicly that it is a memoir and that this is a true story of his senior year in high school。 But it is written like a novel with the benefit of 2022's hindsight。 Anyway， the book is unlike any other coming of age or high school story you will ever read。 It is dark and graphic， an exploration of sexuality， and revolving around a crime story set in Western Los Angeles in 1980。 And here is where the book really shines: the incredible detail。 Ellis provides a Google Earth， street level view of Westwood and the West Hills of 1980 Los Angeles， with a heavy， rotating dose of the drugs， movies and music circulating at the time。 The writing is transporting。 At times it read like Ellis was doing a novelization of Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood， albeit with a very different set of characters and a very different setting。 The crime/serial killer stuff， and its intrusion into this "paradisical" world of these privileged high school students， is also riveting。 The book lost me on the lurid， graphic sexual exploration of its narrator and his endless forays into various sexual encounters。 There is a lot of sex in this book， of all varieties and methods， and I think it detracted from the rich detail and fascinating story。 But still definitely worth a read， especially for Ellis fans。ARC from NetGalley 。。。more
Emma Bagnall
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Honestly， had he made this book 300 pages shorter and got rid of unnecessary scenes， I probably would have finished it。 But the build up was taking far too long and I was beginning to get bored。
Elizabeth
，
I received this book through a giveaway hosted by Goodreads。 While the typical apathy and nihilism present in Ellis's work is certainly present here， there is a deep paranoia and unsettled feeling prevalent as well。 I don't typically fall completely into most books I read。 I still know what's going on around me - who's speaking， where they are in the house， what they are doing， etc。; however， I was completely lost in this book。 I missed a phone call while the phone was sitting right next to me。 I received this book through a giveaway hosted by Goodreads。 While the typical apathy and nihilism present in Ellis's work is certainly present here， there is a deep paranoia and unsettled feeling prevalent as well。 I don't typically fall completely into most books I read。 I still know what's going on around me - who's speaking， where they are in the house， what they are doing， etc。; however， I was completely lost in this book。 I missed a phone call while the phone was sitting right next to me。 I didn't see the flash of light from the screen or hear the ring because Ellis had absorbed me entirely into his work - we were one in that moment。 Do I recommend you read this？ Probably not， unless you want to come away a different person。 Unless you want to be forever haunted and changed to your very core。 。。。more
Anna Marie
，
Thank you， Knopf， for allowing me to read The Shards early。I couldn't wait to dive into Bret Eason Ellis' new book and he definitely didn't dissapoint。 It feels like the author used his own life for this story and therefore the book read like an autobiography but ficntionalized。 Loved it！ Thank you， Knopf， for allowing me to read The Shards early。I couldn't wait to dive into Bret Eason Ellis' new book and he definitely didn't dissapoint。 It feels like the author used his own life for this story and therefore the book read like an autobiography but ficntionalized。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Kelly
，
When I heard Bret Easton Ellis had a new book， I didn’t hesitate to read it without even seeing a blurb。 A huge fan of his works， this one was no exception。 I rated it 5 stars as it stayed with me long after I finished and even writing this review a few weeks later， I still find myself thinking about it and it leaving me with the same unsettled feeling。 The author knows how to provoke， intrigue and compel you to read more。 Told in his unique story telling and mixture of reality and fantasy this When I heard Bret Easton Ellis had a new book， I didn’t hesitate to read it without even seeing a blurb。 A huge fan of his works， this one was no exception。 I rated it 5 stars as it stayed with me long after I finished and even writing this review a few weeks later， I still find myself thinking about it and it leaving me with the same unsettled feeling。 The author knows how to provoke， intrigue and compel you to read more。 Told in his unique story telling and mixture of reality and fantasy this one is more of what we have come to love and want from this author。 For example， the main character is named Bret and the story is told in narration as if the events really happened to the author， or did they？ The story really encompasses those teen years and shows the less glamorous side of the rich。 Mix in serial killers， drugs and alcohol， the naivety and hope of youth and what you have is a wild ride。 There is some m/m sexual content and some sexual exploitation themes which may be a trigger for some readers。 I’d highly recommend this one。 It made me want to go back and re-read The Rules of Engagement which is my favorite book by this author。 Thank you to Bret Easton Ellis， the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced arc of this book。 My review is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Vivi
，
it means nothing to me~ this means nothing to me🎶simply perfect
Jerry
，
disappointing novel from Brett Easton Ellis after 8 years since his last novel。 Shades of American Psycho and Less than Zero with rampant drug use， sex， violence， serial killers - themes to be expected from BEE。 However the plot tends to drag/meander with what feels like a rushed-ending in the last 50 pages。 i knew what i was getting into having read some of his earlier work but in the end plodding is plodding and that's what this novel does for nearly the entire length。 disappointing novel from Brett Easton Ellis after 8 years since his last novel。 Shades of American Psycho and Less than Zero with rampant drug use， sex， violence， serial killers - themes to be expected from BEE。 However the plot tends to drag/meander with what feels like a rushed-ending in the last 50 pages。 i knew what i was getting into having read some of his earlier work but in the end plodding is plodding and that's what this novel does for nearly the entire length。 。。。more
Jo Dervan
，
Shards reviewThe author， Bret Ellis Easton， has written a book that can be described as autobiofiction。 That is a genre where the author uses his own life and experiences as a backdrop for a fictional story。 Ellis is the narrator and main character of the book。The story began in September 1981， the beginning of Bret’s senior year at the private Buckley School。 His parents were having difficulties in their relationship and felt it was OK to leave Bret alone in their large house for weeks while th Shards reviewThe author， Bret Ellis Easton， has written a book that can be described as autobiofiction。 That is a genre where the author uses his own life and experiences as a backdrop for a fictional story。 Ellis is the narrator and main character of the book。The story began in September 1981， the beginning of Bret’s senior year at the private Buckley School。 His parents were having difficulties in their relationship and felt it was OK to leave Bret alone in their large house for weeks while they traveled abroad。 He had a close knit group of friends at Buckley。 He had known these teens since middle school。 There was Thom， a handsome football player， Thom’s girlfriend， Susan， a cheerleader who had been a close friend of Brett since 7th grade， and Debbie， a rich but needy girl who was Bret’s girlfriend。 However Bret was gay。 He engaged in sexual activities with other boys in his school but keeps that information a secret from everyone else。School began and there was a new student， Robert， who had transferred into the Buckley senior class。 Bret sensed that Robert was lying about his background and how he ended up transferring into the school。 Then Susan， the president of the Student body， was told by the principal that Robert spent the last few months in a mental health facility where he was placed after his mother’s accidental death。At this time in Los Angeles， there was a series of abductions of teen girls by someone dubbed the Trawler。 The Trawler kept his victims for weeks after the abduction。 Then he would return their mutilated bodies to a familiar place。 Bret was the only one of his friends who was interested in the Trawler’s crimes。 Debbie was heavily into drugs as were some of Bret’s other friends。 She was the spoiled but needy daughter of a gay movie executive and an alcoholic mother who seemed to have little time for her。 This parental neglect was pretty common in their school。 Matt， One of Bret’s friends， had an apartment with a separate entrance。 He rarely saw his parents so when he mysteriously disappeared， his mother didn’t notice until his friends came looking。 Other friends held unchaperoned parties with drugs and alcohol at their lavish homes with their parents’ approval。 It all comes to a violent climax in the last few chapters of the book。This book has many graphic descriptions of violence and sexual activities。 There are also numerous references to alternative music popular in 1981。 It is over 600 pages but the reader will want to finish it and find out what happened to this this group of entitled California teens。I received this ARC from the publisher and Net Galley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stay Fetters
，
"And I just stood there in the fading afternoon light， realizing at seventeen that I was already staring into my past—that the past had a meaning that would always define you。"BEE became one of my favorite authors after I laid my eyes on American Psycho。 It bewitched me with its cold hard gaze。 I was trapped in its clutches and I never wanted to escape。Bret with a new murderous book， count me in！ The Shards sounded like something that I should have loved。 There's a serial killer on the loose and "And I just stood there in the fading afternoon light， realizing at seventeen that I was already staring into my past—that the past had a meaning that would always define you。"BEE became one of my favorite authors after I laid my eyes on American Psycho。 It bewitched me with its cold hard gaze。 I was trapped in its clutches and I never wanted to escape。Bret with a new murderous book， count me in！ The Shards sounded like something that I should have loved。 There's a serial killer on the loose and targeting teens in the local area。 Things get bloody real quick for Bret and his friends when more people start to disappear。 Then a hunky new kid steals all of their hearts。 Bret knows something is wrong but will anyone listen to him before it's too late？This book had a lot of promise but it just didn’t do it for me。 There was sex， sex， even more sex， a murder， sex， sex， sex， and sex。 Did I mention that there was a lot more sex than an actual murder mystery！？ It was a disappointment。 It took me forever to read just a tiny bit of this and I was bored throughout。 I should have skimmed this but I was a fool。The Shards has a great title but the story within just wasn't for me。 It pains me because I love books by BEE。 I was hoping for another horror masterpiece that would keep me glued but it wasn't any of that for me。 It was a huge letdown。 。。。more
Stefan Bjelosevic
，
When I think about the best books I have read over the past decade， the ones that stand out the most are those that you finish and can’t stop thinking about for days afterwards。 This is not a common occurrence， but this book falls into that category。 This is an absolutely brilliant book， and a masterful tribute to time and place in 1981 Los Angeles。Bret Easton Ellis （BEE） approaches this book in semi-autobiographical fashion， from a 17-year old Bret’s perspective and is （allegedly） recounted as When I think about the best books I have read over the past decade， the ones that stand out the most are those that you finish and can’t stop thinking about for days afterwards。 This is not a common occurrence， but this book falls into that category。 This is an absolutely brilliant book， and a masterful tribute to time and place in 1981 Los Angeles。Bret Easton Ellis （BEE） approaches this book in semi-autobiographical fashion， from a 17-year old Bret’s perspective and is （allegedly） recounted as a true story of the events that occurred in his last year of high school at the prestigious Buckley School in Los Angeles， in the fall of 1981。 Bret and his friends live a privileged life， and spend their weekends immersed in the music and cinema of the period （which are masterfully recounted）。 When a mysterious new student， Robert Mallory arrives in Buckley， Bret is instantly enthralled。 Robert is handsome， smart and effortlessly integrates himself into Bret’s friendship group。 He’s also a liar。 Bret senses danger mixed with obsession with the newcomer。 In parallel， Bret starts to draw threads between Robert Mallory and The Trawler – a serial killer who operated in 1980s Los Angeles。 What is the link between the two – or indeed， is there even a link？ As Bret and his friends are well aware， these thoughts are stemming from a person who is known to embellish the truth as one of his primary literary devices – the early development of the up-and-coming author who will soon give rise to “Less than Zero” and “American Psycho”。As you work your way through the book， recurring themes and repetition are used as devices to both highlight the exuberance of the teenagers， and Bret’s increasing paranoia – examples include “the empty house on Mulholland”， the “designer sunglasses” the teenagers all wear， the feeling of “being watched” and the sense of “numbness” key characters adopt。 One aspect of the writing that was quite striking to me as we work through the book （which is， by the way， the longest BEE novel to date）， is that we start to see cracks， or breaks in the narrative Bret is recounting。 These are often subtle inconsistencies which can be easy to miss， but cumulatively give rise to the idea that Bret is， perhaps， the unreliable narrator。 Without going into detail， it’s important to pay close attention to these inconsistencies as they are important to the overall story。The Shards is by far the best book I have read this year， and rates highly with my all-time favorite books – The Secret History by Donna Tartt comes to mind when thinking of this book。 The ability to capture time and place is absolutely next-to-none （1980s film， music references aplenty）， the writing urgent， personal and emotive， and the plot is simply masterful and enthralling。 Yes， there is a lot of graphic sexual depictions （in true BEE style）， it’s a bit repetitive and a bit long – but these things are not really flaws。 A must read。 Very grateful to Knopf， Pantheon， Vintage， and Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book， which is due out in January 2023。P。S – This is the written version of the story serialized on the BEE Podcast。 I highly recommend reading the book FIRST， then going back to listen to the story on the podcast。 I feel this order is beneficial as BEE provides in-depth context to many of the key scenes of the book and some questions I had were resolved in this way。 。。。more
AndiReads
，
Bret Easton Ellis is back ！ If you are a fan， this is great addition to his work。 In The Shards， Bret is cast as a 17 year old in an exclusive prep school。 A new student joins the class and 17 years old Bret is entrances。 Robert Mallory is secretive and intriguing。 Bret becomes obsess。 All the while， a known serial killer， "The Trawler" is loose on the streets of L。A。 Slowly and violently， the ante is raised and Bret and his friends are caught in a nightmare of death， trying to get to the bottom Bret Easton Ellis is back ！ If you are a fan， this is great addition to his work。 In The Shards， Bret is cast as a 17 year old in an exclusive prep school。 A new student joins the class and 17 years old Bret is entrances。 Robert Mallory is secretive and intriguing。 Bret becomes obsess。 All the while， a known serial killer， "The Trawler" is loose on the streets of L。A。 Slowly and violently， the ante is raised and Bret and his friends are caught in a nightmare of death， trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries at hand。 If you like Bret Easton Ellis， love a violent mystery， or just want a page turner noir， The Shards is for you！ #Knopf #Pantheon 。。。more
Edward
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3。5
Tim
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It's not a good serial killer novel。 It's a moderately successful coming-of-age if you're rich in Los Angeles in 1980 novel。 It's an unholy alliance of the author's debut （"Less Than Zero"） and his （probably） more famous novel， "American Psycho。" But it's not a good novel。Ellis is a good writer， and he manages to keep you moderately engaged through the course of its several hundred pages。 But this is not a good book， or even a book that needed to be written。 It's not a good serial killer novel。 It's a moderately successful coming-of-age if you're rich in Los Angeles in 1980 novel。 It's an unholy alliance of the author's debut （"Less Than Zero"） and his （probably） more famous novel， "American Psycho。" But it's not a good novel。Ellis is a good writer， and he manages to keep you moderately engaged through the course of its several hundred pages。 But this is not a good book， or even a book that needed to be written。 。。。more
Jenn
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DNF。 Zzzzzz。
Candace
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I confess。 I have never finished a Brett Easton Ellis novel， but the description of “The Shards” sounded too tasty to miss。 This might be the one to do it！ But it wasn’t。 I’m trying to analyze what it is that pushes me away from his work。 There’s a calculation， a chill that makes it hard to engage with the characters。 You can admire the writing without empathizing enough with the characters to finish the book。 I’m disappointed because I wanted to to understand better why Ellis is so esteemed。 It I confess。 I have never finished a Brett Easton Ellis novel， but the description of “The Shards” sounded too tasty to miss。 This might be the one to do it！ But it wasn’t。 I’m trying to analyze what it is that pushes me away from his work。 There’s a calculation， a chill that makes it hard to engage with the characters。 You can admire the writing without empathizing enough with the characters to finish the book。 I’m disappointed because I wanted to to understand better why Ellis is so esteemed。 It remains a mystery to me。 I do like the title， though。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for access to “The Shards” in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
OutlawPoet
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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。Now， I went into this completely unfamiliar with the podcast – and that didn’t matter at all。 I was immediately thrust into the world of elite private schools， t 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。Now， I went into this completely unfamiliar with the podcast – and that didn’t matter at all。 I was immediately thrust into the world of elite private schools， the people who haunt them， and a serial killer who was haunting L。A。I confess that I went to a school that wanted to be one of the elite – and my kid goes to one that actually is – so certain things really hit home for me。 And I absolutely loved being brought back to the L。A。 of the 80’s， though I was extremely young during the time period this is set in。The serial killer story is fantastic （yes， I took to the web to find out the real story） and the coming of age aspect of the novel is painful， real and compelling。I loved this one！•tARC via Net Galley 。。。more
Books Yada Yada
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To second the thoughts of another reviewer， I too am so glad BEE is back writing fiction。 This was a fascinating and excellent read。 Brought to mind the best elements of Lunar Park and Less than Zero。 Strange， enigmatic， and love the fact that Ellis has inserted himself into the story。
Emily Christopher
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The Shards⭐️⭐️⭐️。5Genre: Fiction Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 1/17/23Author: Bret Easton EllisPublisher: Knopf Pages: 608GR: 4。30I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Knopf and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased。Synopsis: 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past。 Robert Mallory is bright， and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly The Shards⭐️⭐️⭐️。5Genre: Fiction Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 1/17/23Author: Bret Easton EllisPublisher: Knopf Pages: 608GR: 4。30I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Knopf and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased。Synopsis: 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past。 Robert Mallory is bright， and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle。 Bret’s unsettling preoccupation with the Trawler， a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends， taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific， sharply local acts of violence。 The coincidences are uncanny。 Can he trust his friends—or his own mind—to make sense of the danger they appear to be in？My Thoughts: This was originally published in a podcast over several episodes， I believe something like 27-30。 It’s a tad long for my liking and there is some repetitiveness， however， the repetitiveness does work for this story。 This novel is sexually explicit but I would expect nothing less coming from the author of American Psycho。 This has the makings of a great novel: high school in the 1980’s + tremendous pop culture references + a serial killer on the loose。 I believe those who love Ellis’s work will really love this， it ventures into the cold and clinical。 It is disturbing and dark， with a twist of dark humor。 It is gripping， suspenseful， haunting， even a bit sly。 Bret’s character was interesting， he was deceptive， manipulative， drama-filled， and in extreme paranoia， was not very likable， but that is probably the point。 While it is great to have this in print， I think the BEE podcast would be the best way to read this book。 。。。more
Tammy
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I didn’t realize that Ellis released this book on his podcast。 Perhaps， it better suited on that platform。 This is meta-fiction set prior to Less Than Zero。 He revisits privileged， disaffected seniors at at a private prep school。 There is Debbie the uber wealthy， needy girlfriend。 Next we have Susan， the numb beauty followed by her boyfriend Thom， the athletic Greek god。 Finally， there is the new kid， Robert。 We spend our time in the mind of Bret， himself， who is imaginative， obsessive， and tryi I didn’t realize that Ellis released this book on his podcast。 Perhaps， it better suited on that platform。 This is meta-fiction set prior to Less Than Zero。 He revisits privileged， disaffected seniors at at a private prep school。 There is Debbie the uber wealthy， needy girlfriend。 Next we have Susan， the numb beauty followed by her boyfriend Thom， the athletic Greek god。 Finally， there is the new kid， Robert。 We spend our time in the mind of Bret， himself， who is imaginative， obsessive， and trying desperately to hide his sexuality。 Girls begin to go missing which fuels Bret’s paranoia about Robert。 This is a sexually explicit novel and， as to be expected from the author of American Psycho， violent and gory。 My primary gripe is the repetition。 I suppose this could be attributed to Bret’s obsessive nature as he tries to enter adulthood。 。。。more
Karen Vasey
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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for a review。 I wish I could quit Bret Easton Ellis books。 I keep trying them and I keep coming up dry。 I thought The Shards would be the one to break my dry spell since American Psycho because it had all the things that would make an exciting story: high school in the 80's， great pop culture references， and a serial killer at large。 How could this not be great？！ I once again fell victim to his writing style w Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary ARC in exchange for a review。 I wish I could quit Bret Easton Ellis books。 I keep trying them and I keep coming up dry。 I thought The Shards would be the one to break my dry spell since American Psycho because it had all the things that would make an exciting story: high school in the 80's， great pop culture references， and a serial killer at large。 How could this not be great？！ I once again fell victim to his writing style which tends to veer into the cold and clinical。 Since this did start out as a podcast， I may give that a go since perhaps the author reading it might lend some color to it。I'm sure I won't stop trying， but this one wasn't for me。 。。。more
matthew
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A blend of Lunar Park and Less Than Zero with mixed results。 When Ellis is cooking， he demonstrates why he's one of the most important voices of late 20th century American fiction。 When he is not （his insistence on making "empire" happen; his tired use of characters imagining scenes like a director）， you remember that the last great book he wrote was in 1991。 Too long and not panoramic enough。 Some might say the claustrophobia is intentional， and I would partly agree; however， there is structura A blend of Lunar Park and Less Than Zero with mixed results。 When Ellis is cooking， he demonstrates why he's one of the most important voices of late 20th century American fiction。 When he is not （his insistence on making "empire" happen; his tired use of characters imagining scenes like a director）， you remember that the last great book he wrote was in 1991。 Too long and not panoramic enough。 Some might say the claustrophobia is intentional， and I would partly agree; however， there is structural tension between the detailed and not unwelcome descriptions of map directions which give the novel a wider canvas and the tight focus on the core group of characters。 I might regret saying this， but adding a couple hundred pages to cover all of LA or at least， more of LA， could have pushed this into Great American Novel territory， instead of moderately welcome return of satisfactory craft。 。。。more
Eric
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* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley*The Shards starts out feeling like Bret Easton Ellis is narrating his '80s Spotify playlist while driving through various L。A。 neighborhoods and endlessly name-dropping people I have never heard of。 Somewhere within that narrative， a serial killer mutilates some people and you discover the real story as it all comes to a head。 * I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley*The Shards starts out feeling like Bret Easton Ellis is narrating his '80s Spotify playlist while driving through various L。A。 neighborhoods and endlessly name-dropping people I have never heard of。 Somewhere within that narrative， a serial killer mutilates some people and you discover the real story as it all comes to a head。 。。。more
Turkey Hash
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Currently listening to this on Bret's Patreon， which is the only Patreon I have ever patreon'd， and it's totally worth subscribing to because he's such a good reader。 I imagine the print version will be edited and possibly quite different in feel， but I'm enjoying how it's like you're being told an enrapturing personal story by BEE in a bar。 A personal story involving rich Angelenos， Hollywood sleaze， coming out， and murders in the Valley。 I'm incredibly fussy about a narrator's voice and style Currently listening to this on Bret's Patreon， which is the only Patreon I have ever patreon'd， and it's totally worth subscribing to because he's such a good reader。 I imagine the print version will be edited and possibly quite different in feel， but I'm enjoying how it's like you're being told an enrapturing personal story by BEE in a bar。 A personal story involving rich Angelenos， Hollywood sleaze， coming out， and murders in the Valley。 I'm incredibly fussy about a narrator's voice and style which makes this even better。 Would recommend， especially if you've read Less than Zero and/or The Informers and/or you're a history of Bennington College obsessive。 。。。more
Miss Pickypants
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Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Alfred A。 Knopf （Thank you！！！）There so much that I hated about this book， it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down， but should I recommend it to others？ No， I shall not， I cannot！ I'd give this book 2。5 stars， but since whole stars are the only option here on Goodreads， I rounded down。 If you hated it so much， why give any stars？ Well， the plot device is clever/meta， the narrator shares the same name as the author and it is Disclaimer: Received this as an advance reader copy via Netgalley and Alfred A。 Knopf （Thank you！！！）There so much that I hated about this book， it sucked me in and I couldn't put it down， but should I recommend it to others？ No， I shall not， I cannot！ I'd give this book 2。5 stars， but since whole stars are the only option here on Goodreads， I rounded down。 If you hated it so much， why give any stars？ Well， the plot device is clever/meta， the narrator shares the same name as the author and it is written as though it's a memoir， but is it？ Wondering what is true， if any of it is， that's what earned the 2。5 stars。 On the surface， this sounds like a book that's right up my alley: serial killer horror element， check; high school teenage angst， check; nostalgia factor for being set in the 1980's， check; and written by an author I've enjoyed reading in the past。 So what went wrong？ Lots， starting with the terrible teen characters， nary a one is likable in any real way， especially the narrator。 I felt less than zero sympathy for this character who， as a middle aged adult， is writing about his traumatic experience during his senior year in high school。 The character has no empathy for humans or animals， and is narcissistic to the max。 The sex scenes also irked me， they felt gratuitous and as if I was reading a fantasy journal。 When I finished the book， there was no satisfaction just disappointment with a writer whose previous books I did like a lot。 。。。more
Tessa
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This book was phenomenal。
Susan Poer
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The latest Bret Easton Ellis thriller covers a period in his life in which a serial killer is targeting high school students in Los Angeles in the 80's， specifically the San Fernando Valley。 He befriends Robert Mallory， a new student， who seems to have some striking similarities to the serial killer， 'The Trawler'。 As their relationship grows， he begins to question the true reasons for Robert's friendship。 This book is long， but full of suspense and 80s' nostalgia。 It's written in a very matter The latest Bret Easton Ellis thriller covers a period in his life in which a serial killer is targeting high school students in Los Angeles in the 80's， specifically the San Fernando Valley。 He befriends Robert Mallory， a new student， who seems to have some striking similarities to the serial killer， 'The Trawler'。 As their relationship grows， he begins to question the true reasons for Robert's friendship。 This book is long， but full of suspense and 80s' nostalgia。 It's written in a very matter of fact style， which wasn't to my liking。 However， it's an interesting reminiscence of a time that combines fact and fiction into a story with long descriptive sections about life in LA at that time。 。。。more
Nicole W。
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Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 It was a fascinating peek inside the mind of Bret Easton Ellis， who couldn’t outrun the story he successfully went decades without telling， the story of his senior year of high school during the murderous reign of a killer known as The Trawler。 The beginning was a little clunky， like Ellis was gearing himself up to tell a story。 It’s his Licorice Pizza， but much darker， with a serial killer Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 It was a fascinating peek inside the mind of Bret Easton Ellis， who couldn’t outrun the story he successfully went decades without telling， the story of his senior year of high school during the murderous reign of a killer known as The Trawler。 The beginning was a little clunky， like Ellis was gearing himself up to tell a story。 It’s his Licorice Pizza， but much darker， with a serial killer lurking in the periphery and the discovery of his victims’ desecrated bodies。 I appreciated his descriptions of his sexuality and the men he admired from afar， then more closely。 The writing reads as frantic， sometimes jumbled， but it urges you to keep going， to figure out what has the author so riled up。 Things quickly get disturbing， with the images to match。 The book becomes a lesson in psychopathy， told through the lens of narrator who doesn’t trust his own judgement of what he’s seeing。 I became as focused as the narrator his quest to prove or disprove his instincts。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Shards
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Shards&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Shards&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0