Bret Easton Ellis Returns with Autofictional Novel The Shards Exploring 1981 Los Angeles Adolescence

Bret Easton Ellis has published his first novel in 13 years, The Shards, set in Los Angeles during autumn 1981. The narrative follows a fictionalized version of Ellis during his final year at a private high school, where he's working on an early draft of what would become his debut novel Less than Zero. While navigating teenage preoccupations with sex, drugs, and social dynamics among privileged peers, the protagonist also becomes entangled with a serial killer known as the Trawler. The book blends elements from Ellis's earlier works including Less than Zero and American Psycho with autofictional techniques seen in Lunar Park. Despite its 1980s setting, the novel explores themes of identity, secrecy, and masks that resonate with contemporary digital culture. Ellis examines how characters hide their true selves while trying to uncover others' hidden identities, creating what the author describes as 'numbness as a feeling, numbness as a motivation.' The story features graphic violence alongside more tender explorations of love and sexuality, particularly homosexual encounters, representing a development in Ellis's treatment of eroticism. The novel includes a Spotify playlist complementing its musical references. Published by Swift in hardcover for £25, The Shards presents a fictional Bret reflecting on his adolescence while blurring boundaries between fiction and reality.