A review by violetturtledove
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

So I this is the first book I've read by this author (maybe not the best choice) so I don't know how typical this is, but I found this one very slow to get into. It started with an interesting hook - the author himself is the main character, claiming to be finally telling the story of a real life experience. So we have an unreliable narrator from the start, but to what extent? We assume this isn't real life, but how much is real in the world of the story?

The slowness comes from the repetition of small details; every song played and road driven on is noted, and certain phrases are used again and again. Some of these do have relevance within the story - for example the narrator is never 'at home' but at 'the empty house on mulholland' (his parents being on an extended vacation). But although it conveys the narrators feeling of alienation, it's a clunkier phrase to read when it's used so often. 

Now I can appreciate a slow build up with interesting characters, but I was struggling to empathise with a load of rich, beautiful (if disconnected) teenagers. Maybe it's the nostalgia of the unreliable narrator, maybe it's what LA is actually like - they all seem incredibly self-assured and sophisticated, and yet still typical dumb kids when it comes to some things. Again, it demonstrates the social scene but didn't make it enjoyable to read. 

Regarding the mystery and ending, I was disappointed that this wasn't as big a part of the narrative as I'd expected. I was quite gripped by the end, but as I had a few ideas about what the 'twist' might be (including some I very much disliked) it was quite an uncomfortable reading experience. I wasn't exactly let down by the ending (I'd accepted that it wasn't going to be clear cut) but I wasn't quite satisfied either.