The Rules of Attraction (Paperback)

So, I bought the book.

I found that the book contains much of the missing information that causes the movie to lack substance. Although there is still no plot, per say, one has to acknowledge that the writer is exploring the concept that events in ones' life have no precise start and end - like a nice fairytale.

This daily journal of student life from the characters' varying points of view had me heart-broken as I watched Paul read deep into a non-existent relationship. Mary's suicide over being unable to communicate her affection for Sean and what little humanity he has being quashed by Lauren all caused this novel to hold my attention.

I agree, it's not the ideal book for someone who likes a strict plot and all the usual ingredients which make a 'classic' novel but if you can respect it for what it truly it (as well as the concept of the writer and the fact it's an exploratory piece of writing) then you should fully appreciate "The Rules of Attraction".

Easton Ellis uses the different narrative voices in the novel very skilfully to demonstrate how the same events are viewed differently by different people, how people can read each other wrong, and interpret events and other people wrong, in particular, altering or concealing the truth to suit their own needs and self-image. though all the characters are almost entirely egotistical in their approach to life, Easton Ellis writes from inside his characters, rather than outside: the writer does not sneer at his characters, and, overall, invites the reader to see them as products of their environment.

the main characters are confused and unhappy about life, without really knowing why, or how to make themselves happy. they wearily return to what are supposed to be life’s pleasures - sex, drugs, parties – because they don’t know where else to turn. nor are any alternative pleasures suggested by the novel. any idealism about the pleasures of art, for example, is soon crushed: Sean thinks Lauren’s poetry is rubbish; Lauren’s poetry teacher is a pitiful, lecherous creature; the characters who talk about art do so in such a pretentious way as to make art seem meaningless.

nor do any of the characters find any kind of redemption. the way the novel starts mid-sentence and ends mid-sentence is a useful stylistic device to point out that what we are seeing here is merely a snapshot of a recurring sequence of episodes – these same type of events will just keep happening, parties, drugs, casual sex, parties, drugs, casual sex, parties …

for me, Easton Ellis falters slightly only at one point, when one of the characters improbably stops and considers why we should care about the pain of these rich kids, when their pain often occurs as the result of such trivial incidents. pain, we are told, depends on circumstances, and is as relevant if the result of not being able to book a table at one's favourite table as of anything else. here the author’s voice comes through a bit too strongly, i think – Easton Ellis loses his lightness of touch when he attempts didacticism. but, this is only a slight blip in an extraordinary novel.