The narrative frame of Ellis’ tale sometimes confuses, but the story ties together at the end, creating a worthy read.

Bret Easton Ellis, the man who gave readers the bloodbath novel “American Psycho,” is back in action with a new book. His latest work, “Lunar Park,” is a far reach from some of the graphically violent, drug-filled, sexually explicit books of his past. In fact, compared to a few of his earlier works, one might say that “Lunar Park” is almost dull. But believe me, this is not the case at all. Ellis writes this book from a very creative angle. He uses himself, in a fictional sense, as the main character. The beginning of the book is basically a background of Ellis’ life up until he begins to write “Lunar Park.” Then Ellis starts creating a fictional life for himself. He is still Bret Ellis the writer, only he is now married to a popular actress, Jayne Dennis, and they live in the suburbs of New York with Jayne’s two kids, Robby and Sarah. Ellis portrays himself as the party animal turned family man who is trying to come down from the high of writing some very successful books. While trying to figure out who he is in this new life, Ellis begins witnessing very strange events in his family’s home. Furniture starts moving, carpets begin changing color and his step-daughter’s doll has some extremely violent “malfunctions.” Soon after, Ellis is contacted about a string of gruesome murders carried out identically to the murders he describes in his book “American Psycho.” But the real icing on the cake is when Ellis begins glimpsing his dead father’s car driven around by a fictional character from one of Ellis’s novels. Bizarre, indeed. Well, believe it or not, all of these seemingly unrelated happenings eventually tie together to create a very chilling yet highly entertaining novel. When I began reading “Lunar Park,” I thought I would hate it. Here I was, reading about a guy who had his first book published when he was 20 years old, became instantly popular and successful, went on to write another extremely popular book and made even more money, and then proceeded to throw it all away by throwing huge, lavish parties and supporting an impossibly expensive drug habit. I have absolutely no sympathy or interest in people like that, even if they are fictional. Then, to my great surprise, the book took an intriguing turn. In addition, my feelings about Ellis, the fictional character, began to change. Instead of shaking my head and thinking, “you idiot,” I found myself liking him. By the end of the book, I even felt some sympathy for him. Ellis is definitely the most developed character in the book, but his son is perhaps the most intriguing. Robby’s actions throughout the novel keep the reader on edge, his mysterious nature proving to be the cause of prolonged suspense.

“Lunar Park” begins innocently enough. Some parts are even comical. Then, ever so gradually, the book gets creepier and creepier. But unlike “American Psycho,” this book does not get creepy in a gruesome way but more in a psychological way. By the end of the book a lot of my early questions were answered, yet the overall meaning of the book was something that deserved deeper contemplation. I’m still a bit stuck on the ending. If you are a fan of Ellis’ earlier books I would suggest you give this new book a read. It replaces his earlier graphic, violent narratives with psychological thrill. It will prove to be a very important book for Ellis’ career. Final Grade: B+