Less Than Zero (novel)
American 1st Edition Cover
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| Author | Bret Easton Ellis |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
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Publication date
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1985 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 208 (First Edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 13746073 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3555.L5937 L4 1986 |
| Followed by | Imperial Bedrooms |
Less Than Zero is the debut novel of Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1985. It was his first published effort, released while he was 21 and still a student at Bennington College.
Titled after the Elvis Costello song of the same name, the novel follows the life of Clay, a rich young college student who has returned to his hometown of Los Angeles, California for winter break during the early 1980s. Through first person narration, Clay describes his progressive alienation from the culture around him, loss of faith in his friends, and his meditations on events in his recent past.
After reuniting with his ex-girlfriend Blair, and friends like Trent, now a successful model, Clay embarks on a series of drug-fueled nights of partying, during which he picks up various men and women for one-night stands. While partying, he tries to track down his best friend from high school Julian, with whom he hasn't spoken in months. In between descriptions of his days and nights, Clay recounts a vacation spent with his parents and grandparents, during which he seemed to be the only person concerned that his grandmother was dying of cancer.
Over time, Clay becomes progressively disillusioned with the party scene as he witnesses the apathy of his friends towards the suffering of one another and those around them: at one party, he watches as the revellers joke and take Polaroids of his friend, Muriel, while she injects heroin; at another, he and Blair are the only two who exhibit revulsion when Trent shows a snuff film, which sexually excites several partygoers.
Clay ultimately tracks down Julian, who he learns has become a heroin addict and turned to prostitution in order to pay off a debt to his drug dealer, Finn, who emotionally and sexually abuses him. Not believing what he has been told, Clay accompanies Julian to a rendezvous in a hotel room, where he is compelled by a male john to watch the man and Julian have sex for several hours.
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