Bret Easton Ellis and the Other Dogs

January 1, 2016

This oddly compelling novel won its author some prizes in Sweden, where it was originally published. Set in Barcelona, it is narrated principally by a young woman named Araceli who lives in an apartment with her mother; both are intrigued by their downstairs neighbor, a writer named Alba Cambo. After weeks of snooping, they eventually get to know Alba and her servant, Blosom. Alba dates a succession of men who are, in Araceli's view, unappealing losers, but that's her opinion of most everyone. Araceli attends a translation school where she befriends a cynical woman named Muriel, who steers Araceli toward work as a call girl. VERDICT The characters in this dark, rambling novel are like people you meet at a bad cocktail party: you want to get away from them, but they buttonhole you with such a weirdly convoluted story that you have to see how it ends. A European postmodern novel steeped in alienation and ennui, its sprawling plot--which includes two of Alba's short stories--initially seems random, but the characters interconnect in surprising ways, with Alba as the crux.--Reba Leiding, emeritus, James Madison Univ. Lib., Harrisonburg, VA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.