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A review by markoestes
Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis
4.0
I would be lying if I said I didn't feel some type of way while reading Imperial Bedrooms, because the sequel to Less Than Zero was not what I had expected from Bret Easton Ellis. However, the 2010 novel managed to win me over midway through its millennial Hollywood noir tapestry, with Ellis's wittily sadistic trademarks emerging through a somewhat, lucid narrative, or rather an ongoing nightmare in an equally twisted dreamscape.
I've read Less Than Zero twice (I consider it my favorite book, tied with The Vampire Lestat) and during each reading I spotted something different or overlooked during the previous reading. That's typical with most books, but with LTZ, it's a reawakening of sorts. I pray that a second reading of Imperial Bedrooms will dredge a similar sentiment of sorts, especially after Ellis pretty much declared the Clay of Less Than Zero "an imposter," and replaced him with The Real Clay of Imperial Bedrooms, a severely morally sadistic monster in wheels clothing.
I didn't give it the full five stars due to the length and lack of the original group of characters from LTZ, but, again, hopefully the inevitable second reading will earn that final star and I can appreciate Ellis's most recent commentary on the rapidly vacuous world we live in. Or rather what his characters perceive to be.
I've read Less Than Zero twice (I consider it my favorite book, tied with The Vampire Lestat) and during each reading I spotted something different or overlooked during the previous reading. That's typical with most books, but with LTZ, it's a reawakening of sorts. I pray that a second reading of Imperial Bedrooms will dredge a similar sentiment of sorts, especially after Ellis pretty much declared the Clay of Less Than Zero "an imposter," and replaced him with The Real Clay of Imperial Bedrooms, a severely morally sadistic monster in wheels clothing.
I didn't give it the full five stars due to the length and lack of the original group of characters from LTZ, but, again, hopefully the inevitable second reading will earn that final star and I can appreciate Ellis's most recent commentary on the rapidly vacuous world we live in. Or rather what his characters perceive to be.