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Bret Easton Ellis: Imperial Bedrooms

Imperial Bedrooms is a sequel to Less Than Zero. I'm not sure whether Less Than Zero was in need of a sequel and since it is one of my favourite novels I wasn't too sure whether I wanted to read it either. Imperial Bedrooms doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't impress either.

It features the same cast of rich, spoiled, disaffected characters as Less Than Zero. The gadgets have been updated, but otherwise nothing much has changed. There's a plot line about an aspiring actress who goes missing, which I did not find all that convincing. But then, I don't read Bret Easton Ellis for the plot, but for his cold, distant almost sociological observations. His language is as disaffected as the world he portrays.

"Rain," I say, "that's not your real name."
"Does it matter?"
"Well, it makes me wonder what else isn't real."

Or this little gem "Do you know anything about her except how she makes you feel?"

So if you've read Less Than Zero and American Pyscho, pick it up with an open mind. It's quite short, I finished it in one evening, and you might like it.

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