'Lunar Park' by Bret Easton Ellis is a postmodern novel that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, featuring a fictionalized version of the author himself as the protagonist. The book delves into themes of dysfunctional family relationships, horror, self-reflection, and the consequences of fame. The narrative weaves together elements of literary criticism, memoir, horror, and satire, creating a unique and complex story that keeps readers engaged until the unpredictable and emotionally charged ending.

Characters:

Characters are complex, featuring a morally ambiguous protagonist and supporting roles that reflect themes of dysfunction and self-destruction.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is a blend of dark humor and metafiction, characterized by vivid descriptions and a focus on themes of reality versus fiction.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative weaves elements of autobiography with fiction, presenting a dark story filled with horror and reflecting on addiction and family dynamics.

Setting:

The setting contrasts suburban normalcy with the darkness of fame, illustrated through a nostalgic and critical lens.

Pacing:

The pacing varies, starting slowly but quickening towards suspenseful and intense moments throughout the story.

and it’s a story that might bore you but you don’t have to listen, she told me, because she always knew it was going to be like that, and it was, she thinks, her first year, or actually weekend, reall...

Notes:

Lunar Park is a semi-autobiographical novel by Bret Easton Ellis.

The protagonist shares the author's name, creating a metafictional element.

The book explores themes of addiction, identity, and father-son relationships.

It debuted after a long hiatus in Ellis's writing career.

The story combines elements of horror, satire, and dark comedy.

Ellis's earlier works, like American Psycho, are referenced throughout the novel.

The first part of the book provides a self-reflective history of Ellis's life and career.

The narrative features supernatural elements, including a haunted atmosphere.

Reviewers note the ending as particularly powerful and emotional.

Critics have mixed opinions, with some finding it brilliant and others labeling it self-indulgent.

The writing style includes detailed descriptions of consumer culture, reflecting on American wealth.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic depictions of addiction, themes of trauma, mentions of violence, self-destructive behavior, and supernatural horror elements.

From The Publisher:

Imagine becoming a best-selling novelist, and almost immediately famous and wealthy, while still in college, and before long seeing your insufferable father reduced to a bag of ashes in a safety-deposit box, while after "American Psycho "your celebrity drowns in a sea of vilification, booze, and drugs.

Then imagine having a second chance ten years later, as the Bret Easton Ellis of this remarkable novel is given, with a wife, children, and suburban sobriety only to watch this new life shatter beyond recognition in a matter of days. At a fateful Halloween party he glimpses a disturbing (fictional) character driving a car identical to his late father's, his stepdaughter's doll violently malfunctions, and their house undergoes bizarre transformations both within and without.Connecting these aberrations to graver events a series of grotesque murders that no longer seem random and the epidemic disappearance of boys his son's age Ellis struggles to defend his family against this escalating menace even as his wife, their therapists, and the police insist that his apprehensions are rooted instead in substance abuse and egomania.

"

Lunar Park" confounds one expectation after another, passing through comedy and mounting horror, both psychological and supernatural, toward an astonishing resolution about love and loss, fathers and sons in what is surely the most powerfully original and deeply moving novel of an extraordinary career.

Ratings (5)

Incredible (1)
Loved It (1)
Liked It (2)
It Was OK (1)

Reader Stats (8):

Read It (5)
Want To Read (3)

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About the Author:

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of four previous novels and a collection of stories, which have been translated into twenty-seven languages.He divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City."

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Lunar Park

Bret Easton Ellis