*DNF.* I just can't with this book. I know that's not the most articulate review ever, and I actually do understand the USA Today's opinion that it's "the CATCHER IN THE RYE for the MTV Generation," but here's the difference for me: CATCHER IN THE RYE kept my attention and LESS THAN ZERO simply did not. I wanted to love this book because a former writer friend of mine, whose work I really admired, bought it for me and insisted I try it (to be fair, I did the same for him with THINGS FALL APART by Achebe, and knowing his taste in fiction, he probably hated that too. Wherever you are, Sam, we're even!). But I'm calling it quits around page 115. 
 The author's voice bores me and, as another reviewer aptly put it, I couldn't care any less than I do about the characters. What they're going through isn't something I personally connect with, as I'm not a Hollywood rich kid who snorts Scarface-worthy piles of coke, but I COULD connect with them if the author had given me any reason to care about their lives. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who's all too familiar with depression and expected to be able to connect with Clay and his band of friends from page one. I understand that they're numb, I get the tactics the author is using with the dry, lacking prose, and I'd even argue it's effective in its own ways. Unfortunately, it's bored me to near tears. 
 Dropping books mid-way is something that makes me feel incredibly guilty, but I don't have enough time these days to invest in slogging my way through novels I don't enjoy. So I'm going to fold the corner of this page (another thing I don't typically do) in case I'm ever inspired to try this again, and retire LESS THAN ZERO to my shelf. 
 Sorry, Ellis. Not for me!