Less Than Zero (Google Books ⧉, Amazon ⧉, Bookshop ⧉)

by Bret Easton Ellis

Contributed by NobleBibliophile506

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References To Other Books

Direct References

The Rules of Attraction

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, The Informers and Glamorama.

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, The Informers and Glamorama.

The Informers

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, The Informers and Glamorama.

Glamorama

Bret Easton Ellis is the author of Less Than Zero, The Rules of Attraction, American Psycho, The Informers and Glamorama.

Catcher in the Rye

“An updated Catcher in the Rye.”

The Rules of Attraction

Less Than Zero @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Books byBRET EASTON ELLIS Less Than ZeroThe Rules of AttractionAmerican PsychoThe InformersGlamorama

American Psycho

Less Than Zero @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Books byBRET EASTON ELLIS Less Than ZeroThe Rules of AttractionAmerican PsychoThe InformersGlamorama

The Informers

Less Than Zero @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Books byBRET EASTON ELLIS Less Than ZeroThe Rules of AttractionAmerican PsychoThe InformersGlamorama

Glamorama

Less Than Zero @page { margin-bottom: 5.000000pt; margin-top: 5.000000pt; } Books byBRET EASTON ELLIS Less Than ZeroThe Rules of AttractionAmerican PsychoThe InformersGlamorama

As I Lay Dying

Trent’s pulling the Cliff Notes to As I Lay Dying out of his glove compartment and hands them to Blair.

War of the Worlds

and KROQ is playing old Doors songs and War of the Worlds is on channel thirteen and I switch it to some religious program where this preacher is yelling “Let God use you. God wants to use you. Lie back and let him use you, use you.”

The Face

I bet you don’t even read The Face. You’ve got to.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Blair mentions that Invasion of the Body Snatchers is on cable this week. “The original?” I ask, wondering why she’s talking about that movie. I start making paranoid connections. “No.”“The remake?” I ask cautiously.“Yeah.”“Oh.”

The Ginger Man

I hand him the joint and then a book of matches from The Ginger Man. He lights it and then resumes playing “Megamania.”

Referenced By

No books reference this book

Places Referenced

Los Angeles, California
"He was born in 1964 and raised in Los Angeles."
Los Angeles, California
"“Ellis takes you down and down into a nothingness called L.A … that puts no value on anything.”"
Los Angeles, California
"“Startling and hypnotic … a haunting, evocative portrait of a kind of L.A. life almost too turbulent to believe.”"
West Coast, United States
"“Filled with languid comic terror, Less Than Zero is a startling debut for Bret Ellis, a no wave West Coast La Dolce Vita.”"
Los Angeles, California
"People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles."
LAX, Los Angeles, California
"Blair picks me up from LAX and mutters this under her breath as her car drives up the onramp."
Santa Barbara, California
"the couple from Santa Barbara, who were sitting across from me in first class, had gotten pretty drunk."
New Hampshire, United States
"Not the mud that had splattered the legs of my jeans, which felt kind of cold and loose, earlier that day at an airport in New Hampshire."
New Hampshire, United States
"He’s also wearing black suede gloves because he cut himself badly on a piece of glass a week earlier in New Hampshire."
Beverly Hills, California
"We’re standing at the door of Blair’s house in Beverly Hills and Daniel complains that the gloves are sticking to the wires and are too tight, but he doesn’t take them off because he doesn’t want people to see the thin silver wires sticking out of the skin on his thumb and fingers."
Santa Monica, California
"Trent reaches into his pocket. “Here,” he says, handing me a card. “This is the address of a tanning salon on Santa Monica. Now, it’s not artificial lighting or anything like that, and you don’t have to rub Vitamin E capsules all over your bod.”"
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
"Blair says, still grinning, running her fingers through her long blond hair, “I go to the University of Spoiled Children.” “Where?” asks Daniel. “U.S.C.” “Oh, yeah,” he says. “That’s right.”"
Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills, California
"Later that night, when the two of us are sitting at the end of the darkened bar at the Polo Lounge, not a whole lot is said."
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
"My mother and I are sitting in a restaurant on Melrose, and she’s drinking white wine and still has her sunglasses on and she keeps touching her hair..."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I’m with Trent in a yellow train that sits on Sunset. Trent’s smoking and drinking a Pepsi and I stare out the window and into the headlights of passing cars."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"But we don’t find Julian at the arcade in Westwood, so Trent suggests that we go to Fatburger and eat something."
New Hampshire, United States
"“Jesus, you’re weird. Been up in fucking New Hampshire too long,” he mutters."
Edge, Los Angeles
"It’s two in the morning and hot and we’re at the Edge in the back room"
Beverly Hills, California
"I drive Blair back to her house in Beverly Hills"
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
"“Where does he go to school?” the other one asks, interested. “Harvard.”"
Beverly Hills, California
"We have been in Beverly Hills shopping most of the late morning and early afternoon."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I tell her I’m sorry and turn off Hollywood Boulevard because it’s too brightly lit and take Sunset and then drive onto her street"
Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I tell her I’m sorry and turn off Hollywood Boulevard because it’s too brightly lit"
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
"“Hey, Daniel,” Trent says. “Where do you go to school?” “With Clay,” Daniel says. “I go to U.C.L.A. or as the Orientals like to call it, U.C.R.A.”"
Malibu, California
"The psychiatrist I see during the four weeks I’m back is young and has a beard and drives a 450 SL and has a house in Malibu."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"I’ll sit in his office in Westwood with the shades drawn and my sunglasses on, smoking a cigarette, sometimes cloves, just to irritate him, sometimes crying."
Tahoe, California
"He’ll tell me about his mistress and the repairs being done on the house in Tahoe and I’ll shut my eyes and light another cigarette, gritting my teeth."
Universal Studios, Universal City, California
"Eyes suddenly focus in on the eyes of a small, dark, intense-looking guy wearing a Universal Studios T-shirt sitting two booths across from me."
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"So they took her to Cedars-Sinai which is not exactly the closest hospital to U.S.C."
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
"So they took her to Cedars-Sinai which is not exactly the closest hospital to U.S.C."
The Roxy, West Hollywood, California
"I think I met him at a backstage party at The Roxy once."
Calabasas, California
"She lives in Calabasas for God’s sakes"
Santo Pietro’s, Los Angeles, California
"When we stop at Santo Pietro’s to get something to eat before the party, Trent catches his reflection in one of the windows and grimaces and takes his tie off and tells me to take mine off, which is just as well since no one at the party is wearing one."
Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
"At the house in Holmby Hills I talk to a lot of people who tell me about shopping for suits at Fred Segal and buying tickets for concerts..."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"Trent comes out and closes the door as we get into his BMW; later he says, 'I got this totally cool penthouse on Wilshire. It’s fantastic."
Palm Springs, California
"He takes out a gold spoon, does his line, and then suggests, 'Why don’t we go to Palm Springs for a week while you’re back,' he suggests."
Rome, Italy
"Griffin takes a deep breath and says, 'Hey, you wanna go to my house? Parents are in Rome for Christmas."
The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, California
"When the two of us enter the living room, one of the girls reminds me about the night at The Roxy and I tell her that there have been a lot of nights at The Roxy."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"Then I drive past the gates of the house and onto Sunset.I turn the radio up, loud."
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California
"My house lies on Mulholland and as I press the gate opener"
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
"as I press the gate opener, I look out over the Valley and watch the beginning of another day"
Century City, Los Angeles, California
"My father’s offices are in Century City."
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"I’d gone to see him at Cedars-Sinai when he had it done and I remember seeing his face covered with bandages."
Palm Springs, California
"He’s completely tan and has had a hair transplant in Palm Springs, two weeks ago, and he has pretty much a full head of blondish hair."
Palm Springs, California
"Instead I drove out to Palm Springs alone and listened to a lot of old tapes I used to like but didn’t much anymore"
Sunland, Los Angeles, California
"I stopped at a McDonald’s in Sunland for a Coke"
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"On the way home from lunch, I stop by Cedars-Sinai to visit Muriel, since Blair told me that she really wanted to see me."
Santa Monica, California
"I leave the parking lot of Cedars-Sinai and make a couple of wrong turns and end up on Santa Monica."
Los Angeles, California
"some little girls are singing about an earthquake in L.A. “My surfboard’s ready for the tidal wave.”"
Cafe Casino, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"Rip’s supposed to meet me at Cafe Casino in Westwood, and he hasn’t shown up yet."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"There’s nothing to do in Westwood. It’s too hot to walk around and I’ve seen all the movies, some even twice, and so I sit under the umbrellas at Cafe Casino."
Carney’s, Los Angeles, California
"I’m sorry about not meeting you and Trent at Carney’s that night and freaking out at the party."
Vermont, United States
"How was … oh shit, where were you, Vermont?"
New Hampshire, United States
"No, New Hampshire."
The Forum, Inglewood, California
"Went to that Tom Petty concert at the … Forum. He sang that song, oh, you know, that song we always used to listen to …"
Wilshire, Los Angeles, California
"…and he calls me up, later, around three and tells me to come over to the apartment on Wilshire."
Cafe Casino, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"He then looks at me and wants to know what I was doing at the Cafe Casino in Westwood when he clearly remembers telling me to meet him at the Cafe Casino in Beverly Hills."
Morton’s, Beverly Hills, California
"Did you make reservations wth Cliff at Morton’s?"
Malibu, California
"Trent’s on the phone in his room, trying to score some coke from a dealer who lives in Malibu since he hasn’t been able to get in touch with Julian."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"Trent keeps telling me that he’ll go see a movie, any movie, with me in Westwood since something like nine new films opened Friday."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"As I pull onto Sunset I pass the billboard I saw this morning that read “Disappear Here” and I look away and kind of try to get it out of my mind."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I don’t like driving down Wilshire during lunch hour."
Du-par’s, Los Angeles, California, United States
"I’m sitting in Du-par’s in Studio City, waiting for Blair and Alana and Kim."
The Roxy, West Hollywood, California
"Trent changes the subject and tells me I should go with him to a party someone’s having for some new group at The Roxy."
Fred Segal, Los Angeles, California
"At the house in Holmby Hills I talk to a lot of people who tell me about shopping for suits at Fred Segal and buying tickets for concerts..."
Cafe Casino, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"…telling me to meet him at the Cafe Casino in Beverly Hills."
El Salvador, Central America
"Mom feels guilty since her family was killed in El Salvador, but I think she’ll fire her sooner or later."
Beverly Hills, California
"I drive to her house in Beverly Hills and she’s wearing a pink hat and a blue miniskirt and yellow gloves and sunglasses and she tells me that at Fred Segal today someone told her that she should be in a band."
Aspen, Colorado
"“They might be in Aspen,” he says."
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California
"They were supposed to be here but their limo broke down in the Palisades and …"
Pajaro Dunes, Monterey
"So the two of us decided to go to Pajaro Dunes in Monterey where it was cool and where the sea was shimmering and green and my parents had a house on the beach."
Palm Springs, California
"When Blair muttered one night, while we sat on opposite sides of the living room, “We should have gone to Palm Springs,” I knew then that it was time to leave."
Beverly Glen Boulevard, Los Angeles
"take Beverly Glen to Mulholland, and then Mulholland to Sepulveda..."
Sambo's, Los Angeles
"I stop at a Sambo’s that’s open all night and sit alone in a large empty booth..."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"the billboard on Sunset"
New Hampshire, United States
"Daniel also thinks that Vanden, a girl he saw at school in New Hampshire, is pregnant."
New York, New York
"she might be starting a punk-rock group in New York called The Spider’s Web;"
Peppermint Lounge, New York City
"they might get a gig to open for someone at the Peppermint Lounge or CBGB’s;"
CBGB’s, New York City
"they might get a gig to open for someone at the Peppermint Lounge or CBGB’s;"
Los Angeles, California
"she might or might not be coming out to L.A.;"
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"he’s going to spend Christmas with some friends in Bel Air."
Malibu, California
"He was going to spend it with a girl he knows in Malibu, but she has mono"
Connecticut, United States
"her mother moved back to Connecticut"
Doheny and Beverly, Los Angeles, California
"I look around the restaurant, which is only half-full; people are murmuring to each other and their whispers carry somehow and I realize that all it comes down to is that I’m this eighteen-year-old boy with shaking hands and blond hair and with the beginnings of a tan and semistoned sitting in Chasen’s on Doheny and Beverly, waiting for my father to ask me what I want for Christmas."
Century City, Los Angeles, California
"My father’s penthouse in Century City, the penthouse he moved into after my parents separated, is pretty big and nicely decorated and has a large jacuzzi outside the bedroom that’s always warm and steaming."
Chasen’s, Beverly Hills, California
"We leave Chasen’s and the streets are empty and the air’s still dry and hot and the wind’s still blowing."
Little Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California
"On Little Santa Monica, a car lays overturned, its windows broken, and as we pass it, my sisters crane their necks to get a closer look and they ask my mother, who’s driving, to slow down and she doesn’t and my sisters complain."
Palm Springs, California
"My father calls his father up in Palm Springs and we all wish him a Merry Christmas."
New Hampshire, United States
"The girl looks a lot like a girl I was seeing for a little while in New Hampshire."
Century City, Los Angeles, California
"On the way home, after dropping my father off at his penthouse in Century City, I keep my face pressed against the window of the car and stare out at the lights of the Valley, drifting up toward the hills as we drive onto Mulholland."
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California
"I keep my face pressed against the window of the car and stare out at the lights of the Valley, drifting up toward the hills as we drive onto Mulholland."
Palm Springs, California
"Christmas in Palm Springs. It was always hot. Even if it was raining, it was still hot."
Rancho Mirage, California
"No one wanted to believe that it could get as hot as it had become; it was simply impossible. But the temperature readings at the Security National Bank in Rancho Mirage would read 111 and 112 and 113 and all I could do was stare at the numbers, refusing to believe that it could get that hot, that hellish."
Disneyland, Anaheim, California
"one of us at Disneyland on Grad Nite;"
Monterey, California
"a couple of us at the beach in Monterey;"
Palm Springs, California
"couple of others from a party in Palm Springs;"
Greenwich Village, New York City
"she might be living with this drummer from school in the Village;"
Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"and then Mulholland to Sepulveda and then Sepulveda to Ventura..."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"then onto Sunset and take Beverly Glen to Mulholland..."
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California
"Beverly Glen to Mulholland, and then Mulholland to Sepulveda..."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"After leaving Blair I drive down Wilshire and then onto Santa Monica and then I drive onto Sunset..."
Century City, Los Angeles, California
"Trent’s mother is smoking a cigarette and finishing a Tab before she goes off to some fashion show in Century City."
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
"“Oh yeah, do you?” ... then, “Jesus, I hate the fucking Valley,” and he digs into his pocket..."
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, United States
"I drive through Sherman Oaks to Encino and then into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills."
Encino, Los Angeles, California
"drive through Sherman Oaks to Encino and then into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills."
Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, United States
"drive down Wilshire and then onto Santa Monica and then I drive onto Sunset..."
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
"into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills."
Ventura Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"then Sepulveda to Ventura and then I drive through Sherman Oaks to Encino..."
Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Encino and then into Tarzana and then Woodland Hills."
Cafe Casino, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"the way Julian looked past me at Cafe Casino"
Galleria, Los Angeles, California
"“Go spend the rest of it at the Galleria, or wherever the hell you go to,” and then they walk out of the restaurant..."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"a picture of Blair in Westwood I had taken one day when the two of us had left school early"
New Hampshire, United States
"I know that I won’t use this one and I’ll probably take it back to New Hampshire with me and it’ll just lie on my desk for three or four months, unused, blank."
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"Blair tells everyone that Muriel just got out of Cedars-Sinai;"
Gelson's, Los Angeles, California
"when I stop at Gelson’s for some cigarettes and a bottle of Perrier, I find a lizard in the front seat."
Palm Springs, California
"When I was fifteen and first learned how to drive, in Palm Springs, I’d take my father’s car while my parents were asleep and my sisters and I would drive around the desert, in the middle of the night, Fleetwood Mac or Eagles on, loud, top down, hot winds blowing, making the palm trees bend, silent."
Chino, California
"one about some twelve-year-old kid who accidentally shot his brother in Chino;"
Indio, California
"another about a guy in Indio who nailed his kid to a wall, or a door, I can’t remember, and then shot him, point-blank in the face,"
San Diego, California
"one about a housewife who while driving her children home from school flew off this eighty-foot embankment near San Diego, instantly killing herself and the three kids"
Reno, Nevada
"and one about a man who calmly and purposefully ran over his ex-wife somewhere near Reno, paralyzing her below the neck."
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"Trent stops by and tells me about how “a couple of hysterical J.A.P.’s” in Bel Air have seen what they called some kind of monster, talk of a werewolf."
Encino, Los Angeles, California
"The “J.A.P.’s,” who Trent says are “really out of their heads,” went to spend the night at a friend’s house in Encino."
Sunset, Los Angeles, California
"At Kim’s new house, in the hills overlooking Sunset, the gates are open but there don’t seem to be too many cars around."
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"She just left Cedars-Sinai and once she gets drunk, she’s fine."
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
"I look out past the big lighted pool, out over Hollywood; blanket of lights under a neon purple sky"
Beverly Hills, California
"Nope. Too busy fucking Beverly Hills lawyers for money,"
Malibu, California
"He’s down in Malibu with some surfer, some guy, and they’re holed up in his house."
England, United Kingdom
"Kim tells us that her mom’s in England with Milo"
Hawaii, United States
"the producer says that last he heard she was in Hawaii"
Chinese Theater, Los Angeles, California
"He said he’ll be at the Chinese Theater today at three-thirty. You could meet him there, I guess."
Los Angeles, California
"Except for a young couple, not from L.A., taking pictures of the footprints and this suspicious-looking Oriental guy standing by the ticket booth, there’s no one around."
Santa Monica, California
"The tan blond usher standing by the door says to me, “Hey, I know you. Two Decembers ago at a party in Santa Monica, right?”"
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"No. They changed all the numbers at the house in Bel Air."
Malibu, California
"I think he’s probably at the house in Malibu."
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"Julian’s not at the house in Bel Air, but there’s a note on the door saying that he might be at some house on King’s Road."
King's Road, Los Angeles, California
"Julian’s not at the house on King’s Road either, but some guy with braces and short platinum-blond hair and a bathing suit on lifting weights is in the backyard."
Galleria, Los Angeles, California
"We’re sitting at a table at the Galleria. Julian’s picking at a cheeseburger, not really eating it. He takes a napkin and wipes the ketchup off with it. I’m drinking a Coke. Julian says he needs some money, some cash."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"“For who?” There’s a long pause and Julian says, “Some girl.” “I would think so. But who?” “She’s living with some friends in Westwood. Look, can you let me borrow the money or not?”"
Magic Mountain, Valencia, California
"He picks up a belt, a black leather one, and looks at it closely. And then I remember Julian in fifth grade playing soccer with me after school and then him and Trent and me going to Magic Mountain the next day on Julian’s eleventh birthday."
Studio City, Los Angeles
"…and the four of us end up at some sushi bar in Studio City."
Studio City, Los Angeles
"At the sushi bar in Studio City, Alana doesn’t say much."
New York, New York
"I’m going to New York in April to check the rockabilly scene out."
Malibu, California
"I wonder where Dimitri is; if Jeff is still holed up with some surfer out in Malibu."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"We drive to Westwood. The movie Kim and Blair want to see starts at ten and is about this group of young pretty sorority girls who get their throats slit and are thrown into a pool."
Barney’s Beanery, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"Kim gets lost and forgets the address and so we go, instead, to Barney’s Beanery and sit there in silence and Kim talks about her party and I shoot some pool..."
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
"I’m not too sure if it’s happening there. It might be happening in Baltimore."
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, United States
"I follow Julian into Sherman Oaks."
Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I drive over to the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and stare at the footprints for a little while."
Chinese Theater, Los Angeles, California
"I drive over to the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard and stare at the footprints for a little while."
The Beverly Center, Los Angeles, California
"On the way to the Beverly Center, Trent smokes a joint and mentions that this girl lives around the Beverly Center and that I look a little like her."
La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"I had this dream, see, where I saw the whole world melt. I was standing on La Cienega and from there I could see the whole world and it was melting and it was just so strong and realistic like. And so I thought, Well, if this dream comes true, how can I stop it, you know?"
Santa Monica, California
"I pull up to Danny’s Okie Dog on Santa Monica and she trips as she climbs out of the small back seat of the Mercedes and lies on the sidewalk and laughs as I drive away."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"We pass the billboard on Sunset. Disappear Here. Wonder if he’s for sale."
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"Next day I stop by Julian’s house in Bel Air with the money in a green envelope."
La Scala Boutique, Los Angeles, California
"Rip calls me up and tells me that we should meet at La Scala Boutique, have a little lunch, a little chopped salad, discuss a little business."
Canter's, Los Angeles, California
"An Albino in Canter’s around three in the morning."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"Huge green skull leering at drivers from a billboard on Sunset, hooded, holding a pyx, bony fingers beckoning."
Morton's, Los Angeles, California
"Dinner at Morton’s with Blair when she told me not to go to New Hampshire."
Chasen's, Beverly Hills, California
"Gazpacho, chili from Chasen’s, hamburgers, banana daiquiri’s, Double Rainbow ice cream."
Fred Segal, Los Angeles, California
"Two English boys lounging by the pool who tell me about how much they like working at Fred Segal. All the English boys I met that summer worked at Fred Segal."
New Hampshire, United States
"Dinner at Morton’s with Blair when she told me not to go to New Hampshire."
La Brea, Los Angeles, California
"Kim says that The Garage reopened somewhere on La Brea and Blair drives to La Brea and then down La Brea and then up and then down once more and she can’t find it."
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
"I park my car in front of Trent’s new apartment, a few blocks from U.C.L.A. in Westwood, the apartment he lives in when he has classes."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"I park my car in front of Trent’s new apartment, a few blocks from U.C.L.A. in Westwood, the apartment he lives in when he has classes."
USC, Los Angeles, California
"Atiff, who I haven’t seen since graduation, is sitting on the couch wearing Gucci loafers and an expensive Italian suit. He’s a freshman at U.S.C. and drives a black 380 SL."
Rome, Italy
"“Oh, very good, very good. I just got back from Rome.”"
New Hampshire, United States
"“You look great. How was New Hampshire?”"
Venice, Italy
"Atiff is talking about clubs in Venice and how he lost a piece of Louis Vuitton luggage in Florence."
Florence, Italy
"Atiff is talking about clubs in Venice and how he lost a piece of Louis Vuitton luggage in Florence."
Spago, Beverly Hills, California
"“Did you go to Sandra’s party at Spago last night? No? It wasn’t very good.”"
Laguna Beach, California
"“Some guy propositioned me today,” Rip is saying, “He just came up to me in Flip and offered me six hundred dollars to go to Laguna with him for the weekend.”"
Flip, Los Angeles, California
"“Some guy propositioned me today,” Rip is saying, “He just came up to me in Flip and offered me six hundred dollars to go to Laguna with him for the weekend.”"
The Colony, Los Angeles, California
"“Are you going to be here when I get back?” Trent asks him. “No. Gotta go over to the Colony. Look for some meth.”"
Los Angeles, California
"It begins to rain in L. A. I read about the houses falling, slipping down the hills in the middle of the night and I stay up all night, usually wired on coke, until early morning to make sure nothing happens to our house."
Spago, Beverly Hills, California
"I’m sitting in Spago with Trent and Blair and Trent says he’s positive that there were people doing cocaine at the bar and I tell him why don’t you go join them and he tells me to shut up."
Europe
"Like him? Did you see him at the Amphitheater? Yeah? He’s in Europe now, I guess. At least that’s what I heard on MTV. Like the last album?"
Palm Springs, California
"It was my grandfather’s birthday and we had been in Palm Springs for close to two months; for too long."
San Diego, California
"One of my cousins was looking through a copy of the L.A. Times and mentioned something about a plane crash in San Diego."
City Cafe, Los Angeles, California, United States
"“Spin and I are going to City Cafe. Meet us there.”"
Hard Rock Cafe, Los Angeles, California, United States
"…We get to Hard Rock Cafe and once we’re seated, Spin tells me that he got some great stuff this afternoon…"
Los Angeles, California
"Blair’s father is having this party for a young Australian actor whose new film is opening in L.A. next week."
Las Vegas, Nevada
"“I just got back from Vegas,” Spin says."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"…and then go to an arcade in Westwood and play video games for close to two hours…"
Beverly Hills, California
"…that thirteen-year-old kid who O.D.’d at Beverly bought the smack from Julian."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"…I leave, and as I’m pulling onto Wilshire, Rip pulls in front of me in his Mercedes…"
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
"…I nod, follow Rip down Melrose, the license plate that reads “CLIMAXX” shimmering…"
Palm Springs, California
"…Trent’s house, but Trent, I remember, is in Palm Springs, so I drive to Rip’s place…"
Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles, California
"Teddy explains that no, he wasn’t in a coma, but that he did get his driver’s license revoked for drunk driving on Pacific Coast Highway and Blair keeps drawing on the table and Teddy sits down."
Morton’s, Beverly Hills, California
"“Hey, who made the reservations at Morton’s?”"
The Palace, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Oh, turn this song up. I love this song. They’re gonna be at The Palace on Friday."
Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills, California
"Kim tells me that the two of them got into a fight this afternoon and that she left their bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in a rage"
Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California
"went to an expensive hair salon on Rodeo and had all her hair chopped off"
Malibu, California
"Talk of the damage the storms caused at Malibu is brought up and someone mentions that the entire house next to theirs collapsed."
Palm Springs, California
"so I call Trent’s apartment and Chris answers and tells me that Trent’s still in Palm Springs and then asks if I know anyone who has any meth."
Malibu, California
"He’s either in Malibu or Palm Springs."
Rancho Mirage, California
"All I know is that he’s staying at the house in Rancho Mirage or at the house in the Colony."
Palm Springs, California
"“So, is Julian in Palm Springs?” I ask him."
Aspen, Colorado
"“Yeah. It’s great. So’s Aspen. Aspen’s hot.”"
Pages, Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Rip says you can always find someone at Pages at one or two in the morning in Encino."
Du-par’s, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Rip and I drive there one night because Du-par’s is crowded with teenage boys coming from toga parties and old waitresses wearing therapeutic shoes and lilacs pinned to their uniforms who keep telling people to be quiet."
The Palace, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Sophie tells us about the Vice Squad concert at The Palace and says that her brother slipped her a bad lude before the show and so she slept through it."
Newport Beach, California, United States
"Rip asks Sophie where someone named Boris is and she tells him that he’s at the house in Newport."
San Francisco, California
"My sisters went to San Francisco with my aunt and her children."
Palm Springs, California
"Everybody was very tired of Palm Springs."
Rancho Mirage, California
"We had been there off and on for nine weeks and nowhere else except Rancho Mirage for the past three."
Nevada, United States
"I ate steak and ribs that had been flown down two days earlier from one of the hotels my grandfather owned in Nevada."
Fred Segal, Los Angeles, California
"Alana starts to talk to a couple of English boys she knows who work at Fred Segal."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"After taking him to some emergency room at some hospital, we go to a coffee shop on Wilshire and sit there until about four and then we go home."
Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills, California
"I get up, do the rest of the coke that’s in my closet and stop at the Polo Lounge for a drink before picking up Blair, who I called earlier and mentioned that I had two tickets to a concert at the Amphitheater and she didn’t say anything except “I’ll go” and I told her I’d pick her up at seven and she hung up."
Spago, Beverly Hills, California
"I remember these words for some reason as Blair and I are sitting at Spago after having just seen the concert and it’s late and we’re sitting by ourselves in the patio and Blair sighs and asks for a cigarette."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"I’m sitting with Blair in an Italian ice cream parlor in Westwood."
Sunset, Los Angeles, California
"At a red light on Sunset, I lean over and kiss her and she puts the car into second and speeds up."
New Hampshire, United States
"My father asks me if I’m looking forward to going back to New Hampshire and I look at him and tell him yes."
Camden, New Hampshire
"Daniel’s mother, who I met at Parents Day at Camden in New Hampshire, is playing tennis in her bikini, her body greased with tanning oil."
Aspen, Colorado
"she walks over to me and talks about Japan and Aspen and then about a strange dream she had the other night where Daniel was kidnapped."
England, United Kingdom
"Kim’s smoking a joint and she finally notices me and gets up and tells me that she thought her mother was in England but she recently read in Variety that she’s actually in Hawaii scouting locations with the director of her next film."
Hawaii, United States
"Kim’s smoking a joint and she finally notices me and gets up and tells me that she thought her mother was in England but she recently read in Variety that she’s actually in Hawaii scouting locations with the director of her next film."
A.R.E. Records, Wilshire, Los Angeles, California
"Rip and I are sitting in A.R.E. Records on Wilshire."
Malibu, California
"Trent calls me up while Blair and Daniel are over at my house and invites us to a party in Malibu; he mentions something about X dropping by."
Aspen, Colorado
"Trent answers the door wearing a pair of briefs and he tells us that he and a friend are using this guy’s place while he’s in Aspen."
Hanoi, Vietnam
"One of the blond boys call out to them, “Hanoi, Saigon, come here,” and the dogs, both Dobermans, come leaping gracefully onto the deck."
Saigon, Vietnam
"One of the blond boys call out to them, “Hanoi, Saigon, come here,” and the dogs, both Dobermans, come leaping gracefully onto the deck."
Spago, Beverly Hills, California
"Trent smiles and starts to complain about the service at Spago."
Nevada, United States
"He came with Wilson, another of my grandfather’s aides, and he was wearing a red baseball cap, and he carried around clippings of how the weather in Nevada had been for the past two months."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"Trent and I are standing around Westwood and he’s telling me about how the guy came back from Aspen and kicked everyone out of the house in Malibu, so Trent’s going to live with someone in the Valley for a couple of days, then he’s going to go up to New York to do some shooting."
Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, United States
"“In a McDonald’s in Sherman Oaks,” I tell him."
Encino, Los Angeles, California
"Rip says you can always find someone at Pages at one or two in the morning in Encino."
The Colony, Los Angeles, California
"All I know is that he’s staying at the house in Rancho Mirage or at the house in the Colony."
Aspen, Colorado
"he’s telling me about how the guy came back from Aspen and kicked everyone out of the house in Malibu"
Malibu, California
"kicked everyone out of the house in Malibu"
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
"so Trent’s going to live with someone in the Valley for a couple of days"
New York, New York
"then he’s going to go up to New York to do some shooting"
France, Europe
"Sylvan, from France, O.D’d on Friday"
Hamburger Hamlet, Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"It’s all right. This’ll make it feel better. We can go upstairs at Hamburger Hamlet."
San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California
"Alana’s standing by the window smoking a cigarette and looking out over the Valley."
Encino, Los Angeles, California
"We go out to breakfast in Encino and she keeps her sunglasses on and drinks a lot of orange juice."
New Hampshire, United States
"“I don’t think I’m going back to school,” he says. “To New Hampshire.”"
Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles
"“She’s pretty and sixteen and she lives around here and on some days she goes to the Westward Ho on Westwood Boulevard and she meets her dealer there."
Barbados, Caribbean
"“They’ve gone to Barbados for the month and then they’re going to oh … shit … I don’t know … Versailles? I don’t know. They don’t care,” he says again."
Versailles, France
"“They’ve gone to Barbados for the month and then they’re going to oh … shit … I don’t know … Versailles? I don’t know. They don’t care,” he says again."
Beverly Hills, California
"I’m in a phone booth in Beverly Hills."
Bel Air Hotel, Los Angeles, California, United States
"I remember her staying at the Bel Air Hotel and giving me pink and green mints, and at La Scala, late at night, sipping red wine, and humming “On the Sunny Side of the Street” to herself."
La Scala, Milan, Italy
"and at La Scala, late at night, sipping red wine, and humming “On the Sunny Side of the Street” to herself."
Westwood Boulevard, Los Angeles
"I meet Julian that same day in an old rundown arcade on Westwood Boulevard."
Century City, Los Angeles, California
"I notice that I can see my father’s penthouse in Century City from this room and I get paranoid and start to wonder if my father can see me."
Malibu, California
"The door’s opened by a boy, maybe fifteen, with bleached-blond hair and the tan, tough looks of most of the surfers at Venice or Malibu."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"Four o’clock. Sunset Boulevard. The sun is huge and burning, an orange monster, as Julian pulls into the parking lot and for some reason he’s passed the hotel twice..."
Las Vegas, Nevada
"My great-grandfather died in one. At the Stardust in Las Vegas. He had been dead two days before anybody found him."
Los Angeles, California
"“Are you in L.A. for long?” Julian asks. “No, no, just a week, for business.” … “Do you like living in L.A?” “Yeah. I love L.A.,” Julian says, folding his pants."
Muncie, Indiana
"“Where are you from?” “Indiana.” “Oh, really? Where in Indiana?” “Muncie.” “Oh. Muncie, Indiana.” “That’s right.”"
Land's End, Cornwall, United Kingdom
"“To The Land’s End to get your money. You want your money, don’t you?” he asks."
The Land’s End, Los Angeles, California
"It’s around ten and The Land’s End is crowded."
Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"The club lies on Hollywood Boulevard and Julian parks in back, in an alley, and I walk with him up to the entrance and Julian pushes his way through the line and kids jeer, but Julian ignores them."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"Julian drops me back at my car at the arcade in Westwood and then I follow the two cars up into the hills."
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"The house I follow Finn and Lee and Julian to is in Bel Air and it’s a huge stone house with a sprawling front lawn and Spanish fountains and gargoyles looming up above the roof."
Bellagio, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California
"The house is on Bellagio and I wonder what Bellagio means as I pull into the wide, circular driveway and a valet attendant opens the door and as I get out of the car I can see Finn wrapping his arms around Julian and Lee and they walk through the open front door before me."
The Roxy, West Hollywood, California
"After I leave the party, I head for The Roxy, where X is playing."
Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California
"Trent and I drive down Melrose and Flip is all lit up and closed and we all make a left and then park behind the building in the deserted lot in back."
Corvalis, Oregon
"Her name is Shandra and she goes to Corvalis"
Rancho Mirage, California
"A few miles from Rancho Mirage, there was a house that belonged to a friend of one of my cousin’s."
Stanford, California
"He was blond and good-looking and was going to go to Stanford in the fall and he came from a good family from San Francisco."
San Francisco, California
"He was blond and good-looking and was going to go to Stanford in the fall and he came from a good family from San Francisco."
Palm Springs, California
"He would come down to Palm Springs on weekends and have these parties in the house on the desert."
Los Angeles, California
"Kids from L.A. and San Francisco and Sacramento would come down for the weekend and stay for the party."
Sacramento, California
"Kids from L.A. and San Francisco and Sacramento would come down for the weekend and stay for the party."
San Diego, California
"A young girl from San Diego who had been at the party had been found the next morning, her wrists and ankles tied together."
Las Vegas, Nevada
"The director’s wife stopped by to tell us that they were flying to Las Vegas for the weekend."
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"Finn’s apartment is on Wilshire Boulevard, not too far away from Rip’s penthouse."
Venice, Italy
"The door’s opened by a boy, maybe fifteen, with bleached-blond hair and the tan, tough looks of most of the surfers at Venice or Malibu."
Wilshire, Los Angeles, California
"When we get to Rip’s apartment on Wilshire, he leads us into the bedroom."
Sun Air Drive-In, Palm Springs, California
"Her body had been found at the Sun Air Drive-In hanging upside down from the swing set that lay near the corner of the parking lot."
Camarillo, California
"Some also say that the police caught him and put him away. In Camarillo, hundreds of miles from Palo Alto and Stanford."
Palo Alto, California
"Some also say that the police caught him and put him away. In Camarillo, hundreds of miles from Palo Alto and Stanford."
Los Angeles, California
"The week before I leave, I listen to a song by an L.A. composer about the city."
Palm Springs, California
"Rip mentioned something about going to Palm Springs one night before I left and I nodded, giving in to the heat."
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California
"a series of fires raged out of control in Chatsworth, the work of an arsonist;"
Encino, Los Angeles, California
"a man in Encino killed his wife and two children."
Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles, California
"died in a car accident on Pacific Coast Highway."
Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, California
"Muriel was readmitted to Cedars-Sinai."
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
"killed himself at a fraternity party at U.C.L.A."
The Beverly Center, Los Angeles, California
"I met Alana accidentally in The Beverly Center."
Buckley, Los Angeles, California
"but he's fucking this guy named Derf, who goes to Buckley."
Hughes Market, Doheny, Los Angeles
"And I see Finn at the Hughes Market on Doheny on Tuesday afternoon."
Parachute, Los Angeles, California
"I’m in Parachute with Trent."
Beverly Hills High, Beverly Hills, California
"Trent tells me that he saw the boy with Julian parked in Julian’s black Porsche outside of Beverly Hills High, talking to a kid who looked about fourteen."
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
"The theater we go to in Westwood is almost empty except for a few scattered people, most of them sitting alone."
Beverly Glen, Los Angeles, California
"On Beverly Glen I’m behind a red Jaguar with a license plate that reads DECLINE and I have to pull over."
New Hampshire, United States
"I tell him I have a headache and drive him home and tell him I’ll call him from New Hampshire."
Palm Desert, California
"For some reason I remember standing in a phone booth at a 76 Station in Palm Desert at nine-thirty on a Sunday night, late last August, waiting for a phone call from Blair, who was leaving for New York the next morning for three weeks to join her father on location."
New York, New York
"waiting for a phone call from Blair, who was leaving for New York the next morning for three weeks to join her father on location."
Disneyland, Anaheim, California
"I didn’t think the surfer was talking to anyone; that he was pretending to be talking and that there was no one listening on the other end and all I could keep thinking about was, ‘is it better to pretend to talk than not talk at all,’ and I kept remembering this night at Disneyland with Blair."
Palm Springs, California
"I told her to come to Palm Springs with me."
Los Angeles, California
"She told me that I hurt her; that I promised I was going to stay in L.A.; that I promised I would never go back East."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"And so I drove back to L.A. and went to a movie and sat by myself and then drove around until one or so and sat in a restaurant on Sunset and drank coffee and finished my cigarettes and stayed until they closed."
New Hampshire, United States
"And I kept thinking about that night at Disneyland and thinking about New Hampshire and about Blair and me breaking up."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"She’s sitting on the terrace of The Old World on Sunset waiting for me."
Palm Springs, California
"I remember the first time we made love, in the house in Palm Springs, her body tan and wet, lying against cool, white sheets."
Sierra Bonita, Hollywood
"And before I left, I read an article in Los Angeles Magazine about a street called Sierra Bonita in Hollywood."
California, United States
"There was also a poster of California that I had pinned up onto my wall."
Los Angeles, California
"There was a song I heard when I was in Los Angeles by a local group."
Los Angeles, California
"Young men—California—Los Angeles—Fiction."
Canada
"Some say he went to Mexico and some say he went to Canada or London."
London, England
"Some say he went to Mexico and some say he went to Canada or London."
Mexico City, Mexico
"Some say he went to Mexico and some say he went to Canada or London."
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
"and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto."
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California
"On some nights, late, I’ve been driving across Mulholland and have had to swerve and stop suddenly and in the glare of the headlights I’ve seen coyotes running slowly through the fog with red rags in their mouths and it’s only when I come home that I realize that the red rag is a cat."
Venice, Italy
"Before I left, a woman had her throat slit and was thrown from a moving car in Venice;"
Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, California
"I drove out to Topanga Canyon that night and parked near an old deserted carnival that still stood, alone in a valley, empty, quiet."
Pages, Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States
"Written on the bathroom wall at Pages, below where it says “Julian gives great head. And is dead.”"
New York, New York
"Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto."
New York, New York
"Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York, in 1985."
New York, New York
"He is a graduate of Bennington College and lives in New York City."
Malibu, California
"…we drive out to Malibu to buy a couple of grams of coke from some guy named Dead…"
Mexico City, Mexico
"Later that night, as my grandmother lay in her bed, the others continued their conversations, talking about Mexico and bullfights and bad movies."
Switzerland, Europe
"He took acid and didn’t come down for six weeks. His parents sent him to Switzerland."
UCLA, Los Angeles, California
"I also talk to Pierce, some friend from high school, and apologize for not calling him when I got in and I hear Trent telling everyone about how much fun he’s having at the fraternity he joined at U.C.L.A."
Japan, Asia
"“My parents?” “Yeah.” “In Japan, I think.” “What are they doing there?” “Shopping.”"
Japan, Asia
"she walks over to me and talks about Japan and Aspen and then about a strange dream she had the other night where Daniel was kidnapped."
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California
"The street lights on Sunset get short-circuited, so a yellow light will be flashing at an intersection and then a green one will blink on for a couple of seconds, followed by the yellow and then the red and green lights will start to shine at the same time."
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, California
"Rip and I were driving on Mulholland one day before I left and Rip was chewing on a plastic eyeball and wearing a Billy Idol T-shirt and kept flashing the eyeball between his lips. On one of Mulholland’s most treacherous turns, Rip slowed the car down and parked it on the edge of the road and got out and motioned for me to do so too."
Pacific Coast Highway, Los Angeles, California
"Driving down Pacific Coast Highway, I’m really careful not to speed and Blair and Daniel talk about the new U2 album and when the new song by The Go-Go’s comes on they ask me to turn it up and sing along with it, half joking, half serious."
Galleria, Los Angeles, California
"He looks at the ground, touches the back of his neck and says, “Hey, let’s go to the Galleria, okay? Come on.”"
The Beverly Center, Los Angeles, California
"On the way through the mall, a security guard, sitting alone on a white bench, smoking a cigarette, tells Ronnette that there’s no roller skating in the Beverly Center. “Too much,” Ronnette says, and rolls away."