Review of Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis

Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis exhibits some of the features of much of his earlier work. 1) There are many bite-sized chapters. Nothing too long. 2) You really don't read the book for the plot. 3) It is cool.

In the book, Ellis describes some of the life of Victor Ward - fashion model, friend to the stars, and all-round hip guy. Victor is obsessed with celebrity, clothing, trendiness, and sex. There seems to be little else that can capture his interest for any prolonged period of time. Actually one of the more interesting reasons for reading this book is to see what life looks like through the eyes of someone as unidimensional as Victor Ward. The other reason for reading the book is the style. The writing is full of vivid detail and minute description of details of people and the clothing they wear.

It was a fun read though the end kind of lost me (like all good literature). I really did not get what was going on when victor gradually starts seeing life through the eyes of a movie director and he is replaced in New York by a body double. A few more details would have been nice.

The book was not as gory as say American Psycho, but it had its moments, including a rather vivid description of one of Victor's sexual encounters. If you are already a fan, this is vintage Ellis, and worth the read. If you are not, this book will probably not change your mind.