The Rules of Attraction

The Rules of Attraction

Adult Dark Contemporary

Published by Vintage Contemporaries

June 30, 1998

Purchased. This is my own copy.

Set at a small affluent liberal-arts college in New England eighties, The Rules of Attraction is a startlingly funny, kaleidoscopic novel about three students with no plans for the future—or even the present—who become entangled in a curious romantic triangle. Bret Easton Ellis trains his incisive gaze on the kids at self-consciously bohemian Camden College and treats their sexual posturings and agonies with a mixture of acrid hilarity and compassion while exposing the moral vacuum at the center of their lives. The Rules of Attraction is a poignant, hilarious take on the death of romance.

This book is so hard to rate. I liked it so it should be a 3 star. But I think I could read it again so that bumps it up to a 4. It was really weird and confusing, but in a good way? I don't know. Rules of Attraction could be considered a New Adult book seeing as the setting is at Camden College in New Hampshire. There are several POV's Lets see if I can get this love web to make sense. Lets start with Victor, Victor is some guy who goes to Europe. Lauren is in love with Victor. She is pining over Victor. They went out or are going out or she has been dumped but wasn't aware of that fact. Doesn't matter she still sleeps with a bunch of people. Sean is in love with Lauren. Sean is Patrick Bateman from American Psycho's little brother. Sean is a druggie? I don't know cause they are all on coke, or pot or acid, ecstasy... xanax. Whatever they can get. Sean is in love with Lauren. Lauren is only tolerating Sean. Paul is in love with Sean. Paul is bi and so is Sean. Most of the guys in this book are bisexual. Which is fine by me but that seems like a lot of people being Bi. Maybe a lot of people are but I just don't know any in real life. Lauren is not gay. All of these people have had sex with each other at least once during this book some more than one time. Lets just say a lot of drunk/drugged out sex has gone on in this book. There is a few suicide attempts, one that worked. A couple of abortions and more sex and drugs. It's the 80's so there is a lot of Phil Collins, Genesis, Springsteen, etc. I know all of these songs and have sung them at one point in time in the shower. The book moves fast. It's linear from what I could tell. It's hard to say. Sometimes I felt that the author was talking to me? But maybe it's because the POV is drugged out and drunk. Sometimes it felt like I was reading a telegram. -I smoked a cigarette (stop) He put his shirt on (stop) He left the door open (stop) I cried (stop) Whatever this book was weird and fast paced for some reason and even though I have no idea what the purpose or point of the book was it was totally entertaining to read. Like really bad gossip. You don't care who it's about just tell me more about these weird people. If you like the way Bret Easton Ellis writes you are going to like this book. If you like nonsense drug/party/drunk movies and or books you will like this one too. It just is. Like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas just is. They don't make any sense. They don't have a point, but are very fun to read.