Less Than Dead

You may be wondering why, given that it was released over a week ago, I haven't already posted a five-hundred word review of Bret Easton Ellis' new novel, the sequel to 1985's Less than Zero, Imperial Bedrooms. Well, to tell the truth, it's been quite a while since I read LTZ, and I've since felt that I never really gave it the full due. And so, when I venture back to the old Heimat next week I'm going to take another run at it before picking up the almost disappointingly slender (192 pages) sequel. To quell the withdrawal somewhat I've read through the many author profiles and book reviews that appear on the Extras page of Ellis' revamped website. Jesse Katz, a very old friend of Ellis, transcribes a conversation they shared on the patio of L.A.'s Polo Lounge at the Beverley Hills Hotel. Interestingly, toward the end of the night, four tequilas in, Katz mentions a scene from Imperial Bedrooms that is set in the Polo Lounge:

The Polo Lounge makes its appearance on page 20 of Imperial Bedrooms, the setting for an awkward reunion between Clay and his troubled childhood friend Julian. Their conversation is cryptic, distracted, Clay already anesthetized from an evening of holiday parties. It’s that time of night when I’ve entered the dead zone and I’m not coming out.

Yesterday's film review of The Dead Zone didn't mention the title's signifcance but, as we're pushed, it refers to an unfulfilled premonition, a void where latency remains. Isn't it gratifying when these little coincidences occur? It's nice to think of Ellis' experiencing one of these moments for himself - the point of mild intoxication wherein one must decide whether to stop or take the proverbial plunge. The dead zone. I like that.