When Bret Easton Ellis throws himself into a
horror story à
la Stephen King, it's good news for us. He who perverted
so
well the educational novel, the police novel, the spy novel
could not help but succeed with this well-done bit of
writing. But the most remarkable thing is that the
horror is
not where we expect it. Talking dolls, an American Psycho-
style murderer, strange emails ... but the most terrifying
is Ellis' description of the American way of life. I loved
the bits about the school (I almost died laughing) and about
the anguish of tomorrow's Americans. The novel also captures
the
father-son relationship very well. Bret Easton Ellis'
father died and came back to haunt him like all good fathers
since Hamlet and Easton Ellis asks himself how not to haunt
his own son and be haunted by him in turn. These age-old
questions are always relevant and often bring back strong
feelings.