IMPERIAL BEDROOMS

Bret Easton Ellis’s sequel to LESS THAN ZERO is only four hours but seems longer. It’s a vanity book about soulless, egocentric, cruel, hipper-than-thou Hollywood 30-somethings desperately clinging to their youth. Actor Andrew McCarthy does an amazing job turning these unlikable ciphers into real people. His reading is more passionate than the characters and is the saving grace of the novel, though not enough to save a meandering plot. Ellis uses a deeply flawed character to narrate the plot, and we see everything through his confused eyes. There is not a normal, decent human being in the entire book. Everyone is a dirtbag, and they have no guilt over their evil schemes, just a revulsion for everything in their sad lives, including themselves. You’ll want to shower after listening. M.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2010]