Who Would Like This Book:
If you enjoy sharp satire, unreliable narrators, and a cynical take on college life, this one's for you. "The Rules of Attraction" is a darkly funny, stylish look at the moral vacuum and hedonistic chaos of 1980s liberal arts college students. Ellis’s fractured narrative - multiple viewpoints on the same episodes - makes for a fascinating, sometimes dizzying portrait of self-obsessed, emotionally lost youth. Perfect for readers who liked "American Psycho," "Less Than Zero," or Donna Tartt’s "The Secret History" and want a raw, honest, and occasionally biting read.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If unsympathetic characters and bleak worldviews aren’t your thing, you might want to steer clear. The story is intentionally shallow, following deeply flawed characters through endless sex, parties, and existential ennui - with very little actual plot or resolution. The disconnected narrative style can feel repetitive or jarring, and the relentless nihilism may leave some readers cold (or annoyed). If you’re hoping for likable protagonists or uplifting messages, this probably isn’t your vibe.
About:
Set in the 1980s on a New England college campus, 'The Rules of Attraction' follows a period in the lives of Lauren, Paul, and Sean who get caught up in a love triangle. The book explores a bisexual love triangle filled with misinformation, misidentity, self-obsession, emotional blackmail, immaturity, substance abuse, and a lack of self-respect among privileged college students. The narrative style shifts between different characters' perspectives, offering insight into their personalities and relationships, often highlighting their delusions and self-inflicted struggles.
The story unfolds through multiple narrators, showcasing the same events from vastly different viewpoints, creating a Rashomon-like quality that delves into the complexities of personal relationships and individual interpretations. The novel provides an interesting study on how navigating personal relationships can be challenging, especially in an environment saturated with alcohol, drugs, and youthful beauty, resonating with college students across generations.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include drug use, sexual content, nihilism, themes of emotional neglect, and characters engaging in reckless behavior.
From The Publisher:
From the bestselling author or Less Than Zero and American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction is a startlingly funny, kaleidoscopic novel about three students at a small, affluent liberal-arts college in New England with no plans for the future-or even the present-who become entangled in a curious romantic triangle. Bret Easton Ellis trains his incisive gaze on the kids at self-consciously bohemian Camden College and treats their sexual posturings and agonies with a mixture of acrid hilarity and compassion while exposing the moral vacuum at the center of their lives.
Lauren changes boyfriends every time she changes majors and still pines for Victor who split for Europe months ago and she might or might not be writing anonymous love letter to ambivalent, hard-drinking Sean, a hopeless romantic who only has eyes for Lauren, even if he ends up in bed with half the campus, and Paul, Lauren's ex, forthrightly bisexual and whose passion masks a shrewd pragmatism. They waste time getting wasted, race from Thirsty Thursday Happy Hours to Dressed To Get Screwed parties to drinks at The Edge of the World or The Graveyard. The Rules of Attraction is a poignant, hilarious take on the death of romance.
The basis for the major motion picture starring James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, Jessica Biel, and Kate Bosworth.
Ratings (20)
Incredible (6) | |
Loved It (4) | |
Liked It (5) | |
It Was OK (4) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (60):
Read It (21) | |
Want To Read (27) | |
Not Interested (12) |
1 comment(s)
2.5 stars. It wasn't terrible but I couldn't get invested in the story or characters, nothing about it was able to grab me but might reread this on a later date as I have the physical version
What can you read after
The Rules of Attraction?
About the Author:
BRET EASTON ELLIS is the author of six novels and a collection of stories, which have been translated into thirty-two languages. He lives in Los Angeles and is the host of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast available on Patreon.
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