Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

8 reviews

kittiesss's review

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pedophilia, Drug use, Child abuse, and Trafficking

Minor: Abortion, Eating disorder, Rape, Racial slurs, and Racism

chay_sand's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I am torn. One on hand the prose was really nice, immersing me in California without even ever being there. On the other hand, it can get graphic. And with that descriptive prose that is a strength of the book, it also doesn't allow the reader to hide as things get worse. Better than I expected though, so I guess I liked it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Rape, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Alcohol, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abortion

kazli's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i feel guilty for liking this book so much but it was so good. the way it's written helps convey the feeling of loneliness and being emotionally detached. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Body horror, Homophobia, Infidelity, Death, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Drug use, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

hungryheidi2013's review

dark medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abortion, Antisemitism, and Toxic relationship

cocogoran's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Not the best audiobook for me, I found that the narration style didn’t really match the tone. Interesting story, would like to revisit it in text instead of audio. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use

Moderate: Rape and Trafficking

Minor: Racial slurs

_bxllxe_'s review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What would you do if you were young, wealthy, and apathetic? What if sex and drugs weren’t enough anymore? What if the the only things left to entertain you were the worst things? What if you had nothing to lose? 

Bret Easton Ellis is fascinated with these questions, and he explores the answers in this chilling, dystopian LA landscape. 

“I want to go back,” Daniel says, quietly, with effort.
“Where?” I ask, unsure.
There’s a long pause  that kind of freaks me out and Daniel finishes his drink and fingers the sunglasses he’s still wearing and says, “I don’t know. Just back.”

“[…] she thinks I want to hug her or something and she comes over to me and puts her arms around my back and says something like ‘I think we’ve all lost some sort of feeling.’”

“But you don’t need anything. You have everything,” I tell him.
Rip looks at me. “No. I don’t.”
“What?”
“No, I don’t.”
There’s a pause and then I ask, “Oh, shit, Rip, what don’t you have?”
“I don’t have anything to lose.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Drug abuse, Rape, and Addiction

Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Infidelity, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Sexual content, Torture, Vomit, and Racial slurs

awgeezmckenna's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Sexual content, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Blood

begla's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

one of the most unique reading experiences i’ve had if only because when i read it i felt ‘less than zero’ myself. clay’s depressive, episodic narration is so evocative it makes the reader fall into the same fugue state experienced by our main character. clay spends his four weeks of christmas break in a stupor, knowing he hates his friends, everything they do, and still continues to do it- there isn’t anything else. ellis’ first book is by no means the great american novel but fictionalizes, if somewhat dramatically, the life led by those considered by tabloids and movies and sex tapes to be great americans

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, and Trafficking

Moderate: Rape, Racial slurs, and Pedophilia