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 Netgalley, 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.

My first book by Bret Easton Ellis and wow, what an experience! Combining fact and fiction, this novel takes us on an epic journey during the 80s with music, serial killers, love, coming of age, and several other themes. Written as if this actually occurred with the main character with the same name as the author, it is a heady story with so many twists. Reader warning: lot of sex and graphic violence that leaves nothing to the imagination so be prepared! Though it was a looonngggg novel, the payoff was worth it.

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.

I had to read the new Bret Easton Ellis as soon as I got it, pub date ignored. I loved Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction and American Psycho (sorry, not sorry. Warning if American Psycho was too much sex, too much violence for you, do not read the Shards).

The Shards is difficult for me to review. I really am unsure about how to rate it. The main character, Bret Ellis, narrates the summer and fall of 1981 when he is a senior at Buckley, an exclusive LA prep school. His girlfriend Debbie (a rich equestrian with a penchant for coke), Thom (football star) and Susan (Thom’s girlfriend) do drugs have parties, etc. Then, a new student Robert Mallory shows up and things start to change.

The Trawler, a serial killer, is hunting young girls in the area. Bret is convinced that Robert Mallory has something to do with it. I learned that this book was first a serial podcast; but I”m not sure how close it is to the podcast. (There is a whole rabbit hole to go down on Reddit about this podcast.)

Pros:
1. I never wanted to stop reading and this book is 608!!!! Pages long.
2. I was only 4 in 1981, but I felt like I was there when I read the book. 1981 is its own character in this book and Bret nails it.
3. There are a lot of characters, but they are all well-developed.
4. Bret struggles with his sexuality (he’s gay) in a realistic way since it’s 1981.
5. THE PLAYLIST NEEDS TO BE MADE if it has not been made already. (I have to search for it, if you know of it, drop me a note.). He names the songs that were playing and I could hear them in my head. Im’ a huge 80s fan.

Cons:
1. Should a book ever been 608 pages? Probably not. There was quite a bit of repetition with respect to Bret’s thoughts, but that could have been the point, I.e., paranoia.
2. Graphic violence. There was so, so much blood. So much, I could taste it and smell the “coppery” smell. Think American Psycho. (There was also graphic sex if that bothers you.)
3. I would feel strange recommending this book to anyone. (Think American psycho.)

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.

It's been a while since I read a Bret Easton Ellis, so I had high expectation for it and I wasn't disappointed. It was great, the writing of Ellis is something else and the story is also quite solid! Must read!

4.5 stars
Well if you’re familiar with the author and his previous works, you already know what you’re in for. Ellis has his own style and he does it so well. This book and it’s characters were quite engaging, and wonderfully written. He can really bring you into the time period with the way he writes. He has a dark and subtle humor, and interesting storyline that keeps you glued to the pages. I 100% recommend this novel, whether it’s your first Ellis or not.