after american psycho, i was excited to read more of ellis’ work however this one was quite disappointing for me. it started off intriguing, capturing glimpses of intertwined characters & their lives but it descended into a mess. the group started off as small & easy to understand & i liked figuring out how they were all connected, either through their children or even affairs. however, this group expanded into people who had no connection into the beginning which i found rather jarring & took myself out of it all. each chapter is a short story from a different character’s perspective but it never seems to return to the same one which is disappointing (apparently the film is bad too). i would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if it was limited to a group of characters who were somehow connected but with separate stories but instead i felt discombobulated every chapter trying to decipher who i’m reading about & what’s happening. i liked the first few chapters because i thought it was going to lead to something but it never did. i read a review saying how it’s all “rich people with rich problems”, which can sometimes work, just not here. at parts it is also as graphic as american psycho, but i’m starting to think that it’s just a staple of ellis’ writing, which he does well. go read american psycho.