Less Than Zero is an astonishing first novel by a twenty-year old writer. Set in affluent Los Angeles, it is a raw and powerful portrayal of a generation of young people who have experienced sex, drugs, and disaffection at too early an age. Its narrator, Clay, comes home to Los Angeles for Christmas vacation. His holiday turns into a dizzying spiral of desperation that takes him through the rich suburban homes, the relentless parties, the seedy bars and the glitzy rock clubs. A Shocking coming-of age novel about hte casual nihilism that comes with youth and money, Less than Zero marks the stunning debut of the first voice of a new generation. (Backcover text)