Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

160 reviews

michaelion's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

Maybe the real Psychos were the Americans we made along the way...

A book is bad when I have to question what purpose it served humanity. I am a person who fundamentally believes that all art can be made with no reason or goal in mind; art for art's sake; art because the person who made it felt something, felt they had to get it out, felt they had something to share with the world. I read this book because I wanted to watch the movie, yes I'm that kind of person, and I wish I could unread it. What purpose did this book serve to the greater good of humanity? Fuck the greater good, what contribution to humanity does this book give? It has no analysis, no deeper introspection into the era, the mindset of the people. There's no meat on the bone that is this book.

It has its moments and its beauty, for sure. I love the stream of consciousness and unreliable narration, I love the speaking to the audience, the break rom reality and seeing things in the perspective of a movie, sure. Those elements are great. But as a whole? I never question why art is made. There's art I like and art I don't like. It's easy for me to spot art I like, It's easy for me to spot art I don't like, and there are definitely things that lie in a middle grey area, but for all three of those things I almost never question why it was made. It's an inherently fascist idea to say art should have a purpose else it is a waste of time or attention but this is one of the few exceptions I've encountered. The movie better be good after the shit I just read.

And to be clear, I'm not just mad at the content of the book. It was very upsetting sure, but

about a quarter in is when you get to the first kill and it's mentioned nonchalant. So you read almost 100 pages and finally get to the part you came for.

Most of this book is a whole lot of nothing. It works, only because that's the style of this particular type of writing, but once the kills start to ramp up it's like Oh, you wasted my time, and now this is TOO intense. And I'm sure the whiplash was also purposeful, and I'm starting to get a little too nitpicky, but there are things that are more important / could have been more central to the plot that were not given any spotlight.

I tried to find it in my heart to give it a higher rating, I really did, but I can't lie to my future self who will reread this review and go "damn, the book was that bad?" Hi, future self. To answer your question: No. The book was much worse.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Grief, Homophobia, Torture, Misogyny, Sexism, Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Sexual violence, Animal death, Addiction, Child death, Hate crime, Racism, Animal cruelty, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Ableism, Death, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Drug use, Blood, Classism, Gore, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Vomit, Antisemitism, Bullying, Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug abuse, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Child abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion

zoehakim's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

what?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Rape, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexism, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Dementia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Murder, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Xenophobia, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Eating disorder

emmarowlands's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture

punishercoded's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• 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

4.25

read the part with bethany on the train and i genuinely was going to throw up 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Drug use, Gore, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Death, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

kittiesss's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body shaming, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Ableism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence

greenan26's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Violence, Sexual violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Mental illness, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Blood, Body horror, Classism, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity

hounded's review against another edition

3.5

It's a very original idea and I understand what it's going for in terms of a critique of the Cis het white rich man and all of that is well and good. However I did find a majority of the book quite boring which is not a detriment to the writing but it did make it less enjoyable to me. It defiantly helped add to the unreliable narrator really making you question if Bateman does all these horrible things or if he's imagining it because his life is Boring and repetitive. 
But then when it started going to the actual murders themself that started to feel a bit dull (though no less disgusting). I know this is supposed to add to the narrator again as he's bored so the killings become more intense to try and interest him again but it felt like too much shock factor and not actually that disturbing. (Honestly with this whole ordeal I feel like I've read better ways this was done).
I probably will not reread this anytime soon. But I'm still glad I read it.
All I know now is defiantly going to avoid men who say they relate to Bateman with an even wider breadth then before

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Drug use, Torture, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Hate crime, Classism, Child death, and Antisemitism

quinnsometimesreadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Gore, Torture, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Animal death, Classism, Death, Homophobia, Outing, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Cursing, and Sexual violence

dwsampson's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Great writing and a lot to unpack and consider, but this was not pleasant. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Death, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Body horror, Child death, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Murder, Violence, Rape, Blood, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Torture

Trigger warning: quite literally almost everything

p0ndscum's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• 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

3.75

"Sometimes, Jean," I explain, "the lines separating appearance - what you see - and reality - what you don't - become, well, blurred."

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Blood, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Homophobia, Child death, Animal death, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Excrement and Abortion