Book review: Glamorama, Bret Easton Ellis

[juliet]

mr_tom recommended this one, & it's the first on the list that I haven't been able to finish.

Up until about halfway through, it's an increasingly confusing but broadly speaking reasonably entertaining account of the drugged- and boozed-up narrator (model/actor-type Victor) bumbling his way through New York and later London. Things begin to look a little dodgy (indications that he's got a double wandering round the place); Victor starts losing it more and more (constructing his entire life as a film in the process of being made); and he fetches up in London.

At this point it degenerates into graphic descriptions of torture, bombs, and highly unerotic sex, which is the point at which I said "screw this, I'm not prepared to read this". (I gave up on American Psycho about halfway through for the exact same reason.) Also by this point I really wasn't remotely involved with any of the characters, nor cared about them or what happened to them. (This may or may not have been the author's intention; but I am pretty sure I *have* read books with dislikable narrators/main characters and still gotten involved with what's going on. The trouble is, I can't really remain engaged when there's that much unpleasantness being that graphically described, because I find it too upsetting. And I wasn't that engaged with Victor in the first place, so...)

Anyway, yeah. Having been assured before that AP was a particularly graphic/gory example of Bret Easton Ellis' work, which is why I figured I'd give this one a go, I am now convinced that he just doesn't work for me. Bah. I am now going to go find something nice and fluffy to read to get rid of the slightly queasy feeling.

Comments

Thanx for grat site

[(Anonymous)]

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[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

Yes, I had to give up reading this after nearly fainting/doing a sick on the tube at the graphic torture scenes. Plus I really hate his smug style of writing. Bah :(

[juliet]

I am good at skipping things quickly so didn't get quite that bad, but yeah, it did leave me feeling a bit unwell in the brains. As per discussion with ergotia below, I do think he writes very vividly.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

see i finished AP, and, for want of a better word, "enjoyed" it, but gave up on this about halfway through as well. not enough about huey lewis and the news in glamorama i reckon ;)

i think when reading AP i felt that there was a tiny tiny possibility that Bateman might just find some redemption by the end (no spoilarz, but he DOESN'T ;)), that he was almost written sympathetically in a strange sort of way...

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

Well, what kept me going with AP was just how funny it is, although the humour is certainly grim. Also, when I saw the film I grasped the hints that Bateman may in fact be imagining just about everything much more clearly, and that I think adds another dimension to and increases enjoyment of the novel.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

yeah, i'd forgotten the film plays up that angle a bit more the big girl's blouses ;)

glamorama's just a trudge from beginning to end (hahaha, beginning to middle, more like!)

[juliet]

Aha! This may be why I was able to watch the film of AP but couldn't read the book. (Also maybe the film was a little bit less obviously gory? Or I was just better able to shut my eyes. I gave up on AP after realising that I'd skipped over 50% of the previous 3 chapters, or something along those lines.)

OTOH, I got through Clockwork Orange in book form, but gave up on the film after spending the first 10 min with my eyes shut. I am a big wuss.

[uon.livejournal.com]

I thought AP was grotesquely funny as well, although primarily in ways that I don't think julietk would get on with one bit. My understanding is that Patrick Bateman was more or less a caricature of Brett Easton Ellis' obsessive and abusive father, which casts some of the novel in a slightly different light.

[juliet]

I liked the bit in Glamorama where he got to London & there was mention of Damon Albarn!

I gave up on AP after it got to where I was skipping more bits than I was reading... but yeah, I know what you mean. (Possibly that meant I found it even more disturbing - don't entirely remember now.)

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

I know *exactly* what you mean, but I am, afraid my present view of Brett Easton Ellis is that huis a highly significant contemporary writer. Try Less than Zero - it ticks all the Brett boxes without being unreadably vile, although it is cwertainly unremittingly bleak.

[juliet]

I've heard that analysis of him before, but don't really see it myself. Even when he's being entertaining he strikes me as, hm. Overly self-conscious? Or maybe I just have limited interest in the type of world that he portrays (leaving out the gory bits, I mean). Having said that, I agree that he does portray it very *well* (& vividly, which is one of the reasons I can't handle the vile parts!), so in that sense he's a good writer. And I did enjoy the first half of Glamorama.

Thanks for the recommendation - I'll give it a go when I'm feeling up to the challenge again ;-)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

The Rules Of Attraction is mostly less grim than American Psycho, if you've not been put off BEL entirely by now l-)

[webcowgirl.livejournal.com]

I would be happy to order a copy of the Porcelain Dove to be shipped to you, if you would like. It's much fluffier, except for about three pages in the far end of the book.

[juliet]

Aw, thank you, that's really kind! But given that I'm away off ship-wards in a month (& books seem to take *ages* to get here, bah, then have to be shipped home again...), it's probably better if I wait till I get home & then get Southwark Library to get it in :)