Minnie's Fiction Addiction

👀 First impressions:
Published in 1985, Less Than Zero was Bret Easton Ellis’s debut novel, written while he was still a college student. It follows Clay, a young man returning home to Los Angeles for winter break. Instead of comfort, he finds a world of shallow parties, drug-fuelled nights, and friends lost in excess. With its minimalist style and unflinching eye, the book quickly became a modern classic and one of the defining portrayals of 1980s disaffection.

✅ What I Liked:
The spare, cool prose perfectly mirrors the detachment of its characters. Ellis doesn’t tell the reader what to think; he simply places us in the middle of the emptiness and lets the bleakness seep in. The shocking moments, quietly delivered, almost without emphasis. become more disturbing because of that flat tone. It’s unsettling in the best possible way.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
Because the narration is so emotionally numb, it can be hard to connect. Clay often feels like he’s watching life rather than living it, and the lack of narrative drive might frustrate readers who prefer a clear plot or stronger character development. The novel is more mood and atmosphere than story.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you’re drawn to modern classics or want to understand the cultural anxieties of the 1980s, this is essential reading. It’s an important text for fans of transgressive fiction and for anyone interested in how Ellis went on to shape controversial, provocative literature in later works.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Less Than Zero isn’t a warm or inviting novel—it’s cold, sharp, and lingering. It captures a generation consumed by money, drugs, and detachment, leaving behind an impression that’s more haunting than enjoyable.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE

Final Rating ★★★ – Cold, stylish, and unforgettable in its emptiness