The Shards

I was in mood for a long thriller and it's much more than that. The last time I loved a thriller this much was when I read The Chestnut Man way back in 2020. Im extremely happy that I loved this book I was somewhat sceptical about buying an expensive paperback but wasn't ready to read the kindle edition of this gigantic book.I was always fascinated with the opulence and debauchery of 80s. And I found a full fledged version of many teenagers who were on the cusp of entering adult life.

Un thriller nostálgico ambientado en Los Ángeles en 1981. Me gustó mucho.

Levei meu tempo para ler esse livro de praticamente 600 páginas - foram 29 dias, para ser mais preciso. Esse tempo despendido teve menos a ver com o tamanho da obra e mais com o fato de que eu queria mergulhar no livro com calma, absorver cada detalhe em sua plenitude; afinal, trata-se do primeiro romance de Ellis em 13 anos.Apesar de ser um romance, o livro tem assumidos ares autobiográficos. A história se passa em 1981, quando Bret tinha 17 anos e estava no último ano do Ensino Médio, na prestigiada escola particular Buckley High, em Los Angeles. A princípio, somos apresentados à vida privilegiada de Bret e seus amigos, que durante o dia vão para a escola dirigindo seus BMWs e Porsches, e à noite se divertem em festanças em mansões nas colinas de Los Angeles, regadas a bebidas caras e drogas à vontade.As coisas começam a tomar outro rumo quando um novo aluno de passado misterioso, Robert Mallory, chega à escola. A inclusão deste novo elemento faz com que o aparente conto de fadas em que Bret e seus amigos viviam comece a se desmantelar, rachaduras aparecendo por todos os lados. Ao mesmo tempo, um cada vez mais paranoico Bret começa a desconfiar que o novo aluno está, de alguma forma, conectado aos crimes cometidos por um serial killer chamado pela mídia de "The Trawler", responsável pelo assassinato e brutal mutilação de diversas adolescentes.Com uma brilhante reconstituição da época em que se passa, especialmente na forma como se via o mundo naquela época, o livro é, para além de um thriller sensacional, também uma espécie de romance de formação. É uma obra sobre a dura passagem para a vida adulta, sobre o tesão interminável da adolescência, sobre a descoberta da própria sexualidade (Bret é um gay sem coragem de sair do armário, que mantém um namoro de fachada com uma das garotas mais populares do colégio). É a melhor coisa que Ellis já escreveu em quase 30 anos, desde "Os Informantes", de 1994. Ah, e possui uma "trilha sonora" maravilhosa, com clássicos e lados B do final dos 70 e início dos 80 (acho que mais de 100 músicas são mencionadas ao longo do livro).Não é algo que, na minha visão, vá conquistar novos fãs, e acho que nem é o objetivo do autor (Ellis vem, basicamente, "jogando para a sua torcida" em tudo o que escreveu depois de "Psicopata Americano"). Mas se você está do lado dos admiradores de Ellis (não existe meio-termo aqui), a leitura vale cada uma das 600 páginas.

If you've read any previous books by Bret Easton Ellis you already know whether you're a fan or not. I've seen some reviewers complaining that he writes as if he's still stuck in his teenage years--in fact, he's 58--but if that is true, I see it as a positive, at least in the context of his latest novel, The Shards. Told from the perspective of a 17-year-old version of Ellis, The Shards defies easy classification. It's a sort of coming-of-age-cum-psychological thriller with liberal doses of horror, dark humor and bittersweet nostalgia.Engaging and expertly written, The Shards, set in 1981 Los Angeles, follows aspiring author, Bret, and his popular, high-living circle of friends as they embark on their senior year at an exclusive L.A. prep school. Concurrently, a series of increasingly violent crimes (possible serial killer, home invasions, disappearing pets) has area residents on edge, causing home-alone Bret no small amount of anxiety. A shocking act of vandalism and the last-minute enrollment of a dangerously handsome mystery-man only intensifies Bret's deepest desires and sense of impending doom. When Bret catches his new classmate in a seemingly innocuous lie, the tension between the two escalates.Driven by a combination of lust and suspicion (and jealousy?), Bret launches a none-too-subtle investigation into the young man's past, thus beginning a deadly game of connect-the-dots that seems to indicate--to Bret, at least--that the guy is not who he pretends to be. After the freakish death of a fellow classmate, the tables are turned as one of Bret's own secrets is thrown back into his face: Bret is not exactly who he pretends to be, either.With his parents away on a prolonged hail-and-farewell-to-the-marriage tour of Europe, the walls of Bret's cliffside house begin closing in on him. And so--possibly--does a stalker. Is it the new boy out to silence him? The maniac snatching up local teenagers and pets? Or is it someone closer to him, someone who knows everything about him? Or could it all simply be part of Bret's overactive imagination? He's a famously unreliable narrator after all, so it's no wonder that his superhot girlfriend and the immaculately groomed clique refuse to get worked up over his increasingly overwrought concerns. At their own peril, alas.Ellis' development of his characters is spot-on. There are the stereotypical teenage types: jocks, ice princess, blonde surfer boy, spoiled sexpot, newcomer-with-a-dark-past--but (despite their apathetic posing) Ellis keeps them fresh by making them so recognizable and alive, like people we may once have been friends with. In fact, much of this book feels so familiar that I recognized at least a part of myself in the fictional Bret (especially the pressure to have a girlfriend, the casual deceits and secretive trysts). These kids also seem to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of movies that I found endearing and completely relatable. And the music! Of course, you don't actually hear the songs, but nearly every scene in the book plays out against a "soundtrack" of the most iconic music of the era. It completely took me back, even if I was in my mid-20's during the book's time setting.Not unlike other Ellis' works, The Shards has its fair share of blood and gore, but the violence, for the most part, happens offstage. We get harrowing descriptions of murder victims and dead pets, but it's all in the aftermath of the actual crimes committed. Be forewarned, however: the horrifying climax unfolds in savage detail so you might need to gird your loins for it. Or not. Depends on your sensitivity level, I guess. At any rate, no passages in this book match the carnage of Ellis' notorious 1991 jet-black satire, American Psycho, although I wouldn't compare The Shards to that book anyway (it's much closer in spirit to Less Than Zero).The book's copious amounts of casual drug use and explicit sex--particularly the gay scenes--have also drawn negative criticism from pearl-clutchers and knee-jerkers looking to be offended. As I implied at the beginning of this review, if you've read any of Ellis' previous books, you should have some idea of what to expect. If you're fine with the blood-drenched imagery conjured up in American Psycho but upset by the sexual content of The Shards, that says more about you than it does the author.As The Shards races towards its bloody, tragic climax, things begin to make more sense, although some of the dots will remain unconnected and some connect in ways we may not have expected. By the end of the book I was exhilarated, exhausted and surprisingly moved. At roughly 600 pages, The Shards initially appeared daunting (given that I am no speed reader) but I got so caught up in the story that I flew through the pages in 5 days! Both evocative and richly observed (if occasionally repetitive), The Shards is Bret Easton Ellis' best work, maybe even his masterpiece. Highly recommended for adult readers who can handle provocative subject matter.

You must be a fan of Ellis and his writing to love this one and lucky for me, I am. This was the quickest 740 pages I have ever read. Honestly not a lot happens in this book, until the end but the ability Ellis has to transport you to another time in Los Angeles is incredible. The way he ties in music, fashion, scenery and conversation is nothing short of perfect. I really enjoyed this novel.