The best part of this book is references to other books. They talk about “the kid from LA” from the first page on, and if you haven’t figure out it’s Clay from “Less Than Zero” by halfway through, a teacher calls him by name. One of the main characters, Sean, is Patrick Bateman’s younger brother. My favorite reference, though, is to “that weird Classics group (and they’re probably roaming the countryside sacrificing farmers and performing pagan rituals).” Donna Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis went to Bennington together, and her book “The Secret History” is much better than this.