Less Than Zero

“Less Than Zero” is a relatively interesting portrait of a generation searching for something (Palm Springs?) on such a deep level and so mired by drugs and pop culture that they can't even comprehend their need to search at all. Playing with the edge between critiquing LA youth culture and glorifying it, Ellis paints characters as thinly as their personalities and aspirations, making the read enjoyable only in that laughing-at-the-skinny-girl-behind-her-back-because-she's-probably-anorexic-and-nobody-cares kind of way. I couldn't identify with any of these characters, and I'm not sure I'm supposed to. But it gets complicated when people try to, and find themselves sucked into the simulacrum of how it's “supposed” to feel as a 21st century teenager.

Overall, I'm glad I read to it to get a sense of its cultural significance, but I can't help but think that Wallace just did it so much better with Hal in “Infinite Jest,” a much more interesting and surreal character dealing with the rampant apathy or anhedonia of post-industrial society.