Author: Ellis, Bret Easton
Status: Never read before
Genre(s): Satire
Books: 7
Books Read: Glamorama.
Why Chosen: Was recommended to me by my husband.
Thoughts:
Pros: Ellis manages to convey satire and surrealism very well while still telling a story that can be read. Glamorama managed to convey a good first person viewpoint of the main character, so that I felt I was inside Victor’s head. There were little touches, such as the book having chapters numbered in reverse and the book being broken into sections, that added to the style.
Cons: I found this book difficult to read, both for it’s content and it’s writing style. Stylistically it was very frantic and I found the half page long, run on sentences hard to comprehend. Content wise, I did not like the main character, and as the book was written from his viewpoint, this was a stumbling block. I also found the random sex scenes to be jarring, uncomfortable and boring. While this may have been the point, I felt it did not add anything.
At times I had to put it down and do/read something else before coming back to it, as I just could not cope with reading any more of the book at that stage. While it is a well written surreal satire, it was not a comfortable book to read.
Would I read more of this author: No – while Ellis may be a good satirist, I don’t like his books, and have been assured that Glamorama is probably his best book.
