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Clay Series

This series plunges into the decadent world of 1980s Los Angeles youth, where sex, drugs, and disaffection intertwine with boundless privilege and moral decay. Follow young protagonists as they navigate opulent parties, the city's seedy underbelly, and personal crises. The narratives explore themes of nihilism, lost innocence, and the search for meaning within a superficial and often hopeless environment, frequently leading to unsettling and intense experiences.

Imperial Bedrooms
Less than zero

Recommended Reading Order

  1. Less than zero

    • 195 pages
    • 7 hours of reading

    Set in Los Angeles in the early 1980's, this coolly mesmerizing novel is a raw, powerful portrait of a lost generation who have experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age, in a world shaped by casual nihilism, passivity, and too much money a place devoid of feeling or hope. Clay comes home for Christmas vacation from his Eastern college and re-enters a landscape of limitless privilege and absolute moral entropy, where everyone drives Porches, dines at Spago, and snorts mountains of cocaine. He tries to renew feelings for his girlfriend, Blair, and for his best friend from high school, Julian, who is careering into hustling and heroin. Clay's holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs and also into the seamy world of L.A. after dark.

    Less than zero1
    3.5

  2. Imperial Bedrooms

    • 256 pages
    • 9 hours of reading

    Twenty-five years after "Less Than Zero," we revisit Clay, the protagonist from Bret Easton Ellis's groundbreaking debut novel that explored the dark side of 80s Los Angeles youth culture. Now, in a world marked by disillusionment and middle age, Clay has become a successful screenwriter. Upon returning to Los Angeles to cast his new film, he finds himself reimmersed in a familiar yet troubling social circle. His former girlfriend, Blair, is married to Trent, whose lavish Beverly Hills parties are filled with fame and fortune, yet he remains a bisexual philanderer. Clay's childhood friend, Julian, is now a recovering addict, while their old dealer, Rip, has undergone drastic changes, appearing even more menacing than before. As Clay navigates this complex landscape, he encounters a beautiful actress eager for a role in his film, which forces him to confront his own demons and the darker aspects of his character. With his life spiraling out of control, Clay grapples with his tendency for betrayal and the haunting remnants of his past. This return to familiar faces reveals the stark realities of aging and the enduring impact of their shared history.

    Imperial Bedrooms2
    3.2