Knopf, 2005 - Jacket photograph: NASA “The Ocean Storms and the Known Sea,” from Full Moon by Michael Light (1999). Jacket Design by Chip Kidd.
BOOKS READ 20: LUNAR PARK BY BRET EASTON ELLIS
I don’t know what made me start reading Bret Easton Ellis. I started with, “The Rules of Attraction”, mainly because, I think I was really drawn to the cover (it had James Van der Beek and I had a crush on him in high school) and I thought it would be some sort of interesting contemporary romance.
Totally not the case.
All I can remember from the book was that there was tons of sex and Ellis wrote in the most detached manner and I felt really disconnected after reading it.
There’s no way I could have understood that book when I was in high school.
I don’t know if I’d even understand it now.
First year of university I read, “Less than Zero”. Again tons of sex, drugs, and detached Ellis writing. And again, feelings of disconnection.
Last December I watched, “The Informers” a movie based on Ellis’ short stories of the same name. Yes, sex, drugs, detachment. One reviewer put it perfectly: “…the kind of movie that, upon leaving the theater, provokes the urge to take a shower”. I always felt really gross after reading or experiencing anything that had to do with Ellis, everything he wrote about was so dark, but very human behavior, but explained in such a detached and cold way that was disturbing.
So I saw this book in a used bookstore, and 1) It was a hardcover 1st edition and 2) It was designed by Chip Kidd (one of my favorite book designers). I put off reading this book for as long as I could, and then it was like, okay, just get this over with.
The beginning was really funny.
Surprisingly so.
I was actually laughing.
Ellis’ writing was always stark, but this book was much more nuanced, filled with much more emotion, explanations, and it just felt fuller, more normal, more approachable. Sounds like a sellout, but it was a welcome change to me. I read that when Ellis was writing it, his partner (male) of 6 years died, and that really affected his writing, prompting him to really finish the book and also giving him a much more melancholic approach. The book definitely gets weird, but I didn’t get that sick empty feeling.
Thank god.
