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thereadingdude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual harassment, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion
krispiefries's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
jayvdw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First off, the book is very slow, especially in the beginning. It fits the theme and sets the book's tone, but it doesn't read nicely. The book has some big themes and criticisms about 1980s America, which is very interesting and insightful. Patricks focus on clothing, brand, music and materialism really sets a mood whilst reading and depth to the characters. BUT IT'S FUCKING BORING. Personally, I skipped most of these, the long lists, I understand why they are there and that Bret intentionally puts them in the book to be boring and bore the reader.
The book is super super gross and not at all for the faint of heart. The book goes into detail about the murders and sex. It is very unsettling and I sometimes strayed away from reading for a few hours after certain chapters.
My favorite part of the book is clearly a few chapters near the end.
Overall, I think this book is very interesting and learnful. Even in the modern day a lot of the themes are still present or even worse. The book is however a very boring read or very gross most of the time, due to this I gave it a low rating, simply because I did not enjoy reading it for most of the book, I also feel like the book could have been half the size. The ending was a let down in my opinion and a bit too vague. It would have been better if the ending focussed more on the trustworthiness of Patrick.
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Alcohol, Body horror, Infidelity, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Bullying, Cannibalism, Grief, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Child death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
This book is gross and very very explicit with sex, murder, rape and torture. Not only to men and women, but also animals and children.suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
though i understand that ellis deliberately makes it so that this book is satirically exaggerated to emphasize bateman's character (as a reflection of our own), the oversaturation of these moments (which he constantly relies on throughout the text, even at moments when it is not needed) come across as if a 12-year-old is telling the same joke over and over again until it just becomes the same. mindless. punchline. on top of that, the overuse of slurs when ellis actually didn't need to use them at all comes across as lazy character-building (and this is only emphasized by his explicit statement that he doesn't care if he's "canceled" for using the slurs when interviewers brought it up). you can always show a bad character is a bad person without depicting him beating up the homeless over and over, using slurs when not needed, and adding in filler scenes of overt antisemitism that could have been easily erased and made the same points (and made the book more powerful, in my opinion).
though the gore seemed to draw on society's fascination with gore and all things horror (as well as sex), 400 pages of this very particular fascination in the kind of "rinse and repeat" style results in something that loses its significance, dulling and eating in on itself as it goes on.
frankly, i do not know whether i recommend this book. though the ending was actually quite good (and guess what? it did it WITHOUT 4 paragraphs of intense misogyny and hate crimes every five pages! wow- shocker) the oversaturation with which ellis relies on obscures the meaning entirely, almost watering the point down in places where it could have been a memorable text. however, if you want to read it, please take the trigger warnings seriously— and i suggest an audiobook as an aid from pages 60-360, since the middle really isn't worth your time or really worth any meaningful pen-to-page analytical thoughts.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexism, Physical abuse, Blood, Racial slurs, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Vomit, Abortion, Outing, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Cannibalism, Racism, Gun violence, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Torture, Addiction, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Hate crime, Gore, Drug use, Cursing, Child abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Classism, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Addiction, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Xenophobia, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, and War
Minor: Dementia, Genocide, and Death of parent
_kaylinconn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
But I don’t feel as though I could rate this higher then a 3-3.5, because it’s content is so foul. Which I know I signed up for, but none of this was enjoyable.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Animal death, Child abuse, Torture, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Be careful. Take breaks, don’t force yourself into anythingisusp_65's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Rape, and Sexual harassment
addythebookbat's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cannibalism, Child death, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, Gore, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abortion
autumnwhite's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Misogyny, Mental illness, Body horror, Death, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Murder, Abortion, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Homophobia, Hate crime, Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Gun violence
eg_demps's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Gun violence, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Abortion, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Infidelity, Murder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Racism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Blood, Gore, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Confinement, Sexual assault, Rape, and Racial slurs