Lunar Park

I am a huge fan of American Psycho. Disturbed as I was by the book, I completely devoured the movie. Every last bit. Christian Bale, yum. I even bought the DVD, director's cut.

Now, upon seeing a paperback copy of Lunar Park at my local Borders, I just had to have it. And as an unevolved bookavore, I finished this novel in 3 days. Not a quick departure from his usual world of booze, drugs and hedonism, Bret Easton Ellis managed to bring the familiar theme into his alter-sense of reality. Confusion hits the reader as you slowly realize that this a book of fiction, not fact. Check out the author's official website, and you'll see what I mean.

It's the perfect book for novelist groupies.

Here's the premise. Lunar Park is supposedly the memoirs of bestselling novelist Bret Easton Ellis, post-American Psycho. He's battling with the ghosts of his past, namely the one big ghost of his father whom the character Patrick Bates is based on. The book quickly draws you into Ellis' own Twilight Zone (insert Rod Serling's voiceover here) and the reader starts contemplating whether the author is zonked out on hallucinogens or if he's sincere in his fear and paranoia. It's an amazing read.

The more obvious theme is the complex father-son relationship and the irrepairable damage a father can inflict. The secondary skin is lighter, humourful, almost satirical as Ellis pokes fun at the horror genre from a honest and fresh voice of incoherance and insanity.