Less than Zero.

http://www.popmatters.com/post/134041-/

This 'review' both gives us the view of the book from two different age demographics, a 15 year old teenager and a 30+ adult.  The writer of the post, Rob Horning writes that as a 15 year old it 'blew his mind' and that he 'had a hard time imagining any adults reading the book or taking it seriously'. these two statement for me shows the books representation of the 'blank generation' and youth culture. Youth who read the book have a sense of envy and pity for the characters involved as the lives they are living are fast, fun and unrealistic to those who didn't grow up in the 1980's. Horning writes that for adults the book is a bit silly as the issues that the characters go through "don't constitute real problems" and for an adult reading the book that is seen as part of the problem with youth culture, issues that don't/ didn't matter become much more important in the lives of the teenager.

As an adult Rob Horning finds the shocking issues in the book "Unconvincing, and melodramatic despite the faux detachment". The main issue the writer has with the book is that it Clay, the main character, sees dumping his girlfriend and losing touch with a friend as more of a tragic and a bigger loss and emotional strain than when he walks out on his high school friends rape the 12 year old girl. It's this self-obsessed loathing that really sets the book apart from others when it comes to highlighting the 'blank-generation' and the youth culture of the time. Clay is the combination of a wannabe yuppie that is only really interested in his own struggles and future. At the end of the novel he does decide to leave that part of his life behind as he can see the harm and damage that that way of life can do.