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The Shards by bret easton ellis
What Ellis did to the Young Professional in American Psycho, he does to the American teenager in The Shards - violently and carnally probes archetypes put on pedestals by American society, swapping New York traders and socialites for quarterbacks and prom queens. Sweeps you up with lives you wished you lived all the while making you grateful you don't. Not without true humanity and flashes of resemblance to figures and events in my own years of high school debauchery.
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@ben-newman-1
1d ago
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@isbiltur
Fantastic book. Really could not put it down. But I don't think it has much in common with American Psycho - the structure, narrative style and pacing is completely different. While still violent and unsettling it's way less grotesque than American Psycho. I don't know if I'd recommend one based on the other and can see how someone who didn't like American Psycho would love The Shards. Did you read Less Than Zero (if not treat it as a rec!)
1d ago
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@ben-newman-1
@ISBILTUR love less than zero; and very fair point about American Psycho
1d ago
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THE SHARDS
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis was my favorite book I read last year. Drugged out rich kids in private school, lots of music mentions (to the point there’s playlists of it) and a 70s styled California serial killer. I was very into it.
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@erraticcompendium
Jun 9, 2025
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The shards by bret easton ellis
By all means defining and also a perfectly strange starter for his work, THE SHARDS is a quasi-prequel to LESS THAN ZERO, and while it may take place in the 80s, feels like a perfect, ambivalent exploration of violence in our time.
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@billymacadamia
Jul 15, 2024
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1980‘s los angeles through the eyes of america’s smuttiest writer, brett easton ellis
LA getting you down? because its Too Boring? Escape into this provocative - bordering-smut novel that takes place in more exciting, drug fueled times. It’s called ’The Shards’ and I read it earlier this summer and could not put it down. Like most of Ellis’ writing, it’s got well dressed preppy hot people and cocaine and serial killers. After reading ’The Shards’, I’ve been very visually inspired by 1980s LA 🎥🎥🎥
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@wrenneevans
Dec 16, 2023

Top Recs from @ben-newman-1

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One of the more underrated Dylan records from an underrated era from him. Some beautiful songwriting of course, but it's worth the listen mostly for the vibes. There's a southwestern country sound in this that makes me feel like I'm pulling into a desert motel in a beat up pickup during a long roadtrip.
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@ben-newman-1
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Been tuning into college radio stations for schools I don't go to; an interesting window into someone's life and taste. Been using this website to tune into different stations across the country. Recently heard a DJ on the UVA station say "Reach out to that person you miss," then immediately spun a gorgeous acoustic guitar instrumental I had never heard before. https://campus-fm.netlify.app/
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@ben-newman-1
2d ago
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@ben-newman-1
1d ago