Margins
The Rules of Attraction book cover
The Rules of Attraction
1987
First Published
3.72
Average Rating
288
Number of Pages

From the bestselling author of American Psycho comes this satirical black comedy about the death of romance. Set at an affluent liberal arts college during the height of the Reagan eighties, The Rules of Attraction follows a handful of rowdy, spoiled, sexually promiscuous students with no plans for the future—or even the present. Three of them—Sean, Paul, and Lauren—become involved in a love triangle of sorts within a sequence of drug runs, "Dressed to Get Screwed" parties, and "End of the World" parties. As Bret Easton Ellis trains his incisive gaze on the kids at the self-consciously bohemian Camden College, treating their sexual posturing and agonies with a mixture of acrid hilarity and compassion, he exposes the moral vacuum at the center of their lives.

Avg Rating
3.72
Number of Ratings
49,679
5 STARS
23%
4 STARS
38%
3 STARS
28%
2 STARS
8%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads

Author

Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis
Author · 12 books
Bret Easton Ellis is an American author. He is considered to be one of the major Generation X authors and was regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack, which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney. He has called himself a moralist, although he has often been pegged as a nihilist. His characters are generally young vacuous people, who are aware of their depravity but choose to enjoy it. The novels are also linked by common, recurring characters, and dystopic locales (such as Los Angeles and New York).
548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2025 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved