The Shards

Having read the novel I am now able to answer this question: what does it mean to be a kid at heart? Some of us never quite grow up. We may have all the attributes of adults, the looks, the jobs, the seriousness, the social behaviour, the muscles, but, we are still children. In the way we dream, in how we read, in what we contemplate, when we are on our own, hidden from view.

The Shards is, perhaps, the most disturbing of all of Bret’s writing I have read so far.  My last impression is that I must re-read Less than Zero, the novel he was about to write when he took his twelfth grade in 1981. Others went on to become full time “tangible participants”, immersed in the serious business of adulthood. I guess that, somehow, Bret escaped. He’s not on his own, but he has the talent to write about it. What does the Shards tell us?

The 80’s

A lot about the already advanced decomposition of American society in the 80’s, although this is not Bret’s purpose. Yet he’s a witness, a reliable one, in what he writes, and what he ignores. Then it tells us much about the kid Bret was, and, as far as I see can see, still is. In this often lethal passage from childhood to what may be adulthood, that threshold that some of us skirt around, he tells us all there is to know, all that is important: the pretend friends, the desperate need to belong, even when one is different, the necessity to assert oneself, to be what one is not, not really.

Betrayal

It tells us about the pain of betrayal, Thom’s betrayal by Susan, the tragedy of loss (would Bret have written so much about those psychopaths without Robert Mallory, and isn’t Mallory Bret’s doppelgänger, his dark side?) There is no shortage of creepy characters, from Bateman, to Viktor Ward’s nemesis, and the ghosts that haunt Lunar Park. One wishes that Bret had really loved Debbie, who disappears towards the end of the story, after the calvary of seeing the pictures of her dad with Bret. But this was not to be, in reality the woman Bret, the kid, loved, was Susan, and this was probably one of the reasons for the flight East, Bennington, the friendship with Donna.

The Secret History

We, retarded kids into the adult world, understand all this very well, although we pretend not to. Like the heroes  of The Secret History, we deny the world out there, for a short, far too short interval, we live with ourselves in splendid isolation. Until reality knocks at the door.

So being a kid at heart means extending the dream, the position of intangible non-participant, for a little longer, perhaps for the length of a book, the time to write a poem, take that picture of a long faded beauty. I suggest many novelists are, or were, before they became successful. I have to read Less Than Zero, and the Little Friend, and perhaps work harder on that elusive story of mine. Before the flesh fails me.

The Shards is Bret’s most endearing novel, a tale of an eternal child, on a road to nowhere. I will read it again, in a few years, if I find the courage.

A positive view

In conclusion, The Shards beautifully captures that delicate space between childhood and adulthood, reminding us that many carry a piece of their youthful selves throughout life. The charm of this transitional phase resonates deeply, allowing readers to reflect on their own journeys. It’s a poignant exploration of how, despite the weight of responsibilities and the passage of time, some aspects of our inner child can remain ever-present. As we navigate the complexities of growing up, the novel invites us to embrace that enduring sense of wonder, highlighting that at heart, we may always be kids, relishing the thrill of the unknown.