2011 Q1 Book Report

I have no right to critique literary works. In fact, the only credential I have is that I can read. If you are looking for someone who is qualified, witty and prolific in her book reviews, then check out my friend tropicopolitan. She reads books faster than I read the back of cereal boxes.

Anyway, if you are looking for a lazy, semi-incompetent review of a few books I managed to read, then welcome to lickity list.

Less than Zero . Brett Easton Ellis
Set in Los Angeles in the 1980s, Brett Easton Ellis does a superb job of capturing a disaffected generation of teenagers raising themselves with no limits imposed by parents, society or ethics. The story follows the main character reassociating with his high school friends on winter break from college as they party, lunch and hang out (to put it mildly). The shock value of the experiences detailed is original and, while the situations are tense and inappropriately mature, the apathy seems to creep from the page rendering the reader numb in a participatory fashion. Brett Easton Ellis writes so realistically that fiction is easily confused with reality, giving the novel a greater impact and leaving the reader to question, "is this autobiographical?" Now that's a compliment.


Imperial Bedrooms . Brett Easton Ellis
The apathetic brat pack introduced in Less Than Zero are reintroduced as adults with varying degrees of success in Los Angeles. Mystery abounds when our protagonist returns to Los Angeles to start anew only to get caught up in nebulous and seedy situations that somehow involve all of his childhood buddies. Small world. I read this book with a sense of detached interest and if the novel were any longer I probably would have walked away. Although heavily influenced by pulp novels, it often reads as corny, which was hard to reconcile with the lurid sexual deviations of the characters. Call me a prude, but I was off-put by one particular chapter in which depraved sexual acts are detailed that don't add to the story or character development. I can only guess Mr. Ellis wanted to see if he still had it in him to shock the reader. 2 stars only because I didn't walk away from the book.


Mrs. Bridge . Evan S. Connell
Each chapter is a snapshot of small events in the life of Mrs. Bridge, a Kansas City housewife in the 1930's. A simple concept that is written succinctly making even the most mundane transactions a fascinatingly quick glimpse into this particular place and time. The stories capture Mrs. Bridge as she relates to her children, her neighbors and community-at-large in a masterful display of 'show, don't tell' writing. Many of the events are so perfectly detailed I wondered if the author is giving an embellished account of events he witnessed or if they really are works of fiction.