Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - American Psycho

TLDR; really REALLY graphic but also really funny and well-done. Very slow and stream-of-consciousness. Great book!

Ummm...wow. I'm not even sure where to begin. For context, I've never seen the movie, and I thought 'what the hey, I should read the book first'. Surprisingly, somehow, I really enjoyed it. This book is a really interesting satire of consumerism and elitism in such a capitalistic place as NYC, while also being a fascinating stream-of-consciousness look at the mind of an incredibly mentally ill individual. As a book, the narrative voice is far more interesting and important than the actual plot itself. That being said, I knew that this book was going to be dark and gross, but I was not prepared for HOW dark and gross. Most of the book is fine, but there are a handful of chapters that are extremely descriptive in the gore, and horrifically 'creative'. I have a pretty strong stomach, and multiple times I needed to take breathers from chapters being too intense for me. *If you choose to read the book and want to try and dodge the worst of it, the chapters titled 'Girl' or 'Girls' contain the worst of the worst*. Other than that, I thought it was a brilliant read and for the most part, incredibly well written. It would have had 5 stars from me if it weren't for a few things: 1) while some of the gore was appropriate, a good chunk of it was a bit too gratuitous, although it could be argued that it was necessary for the reader's understanding of the character, 2) it's a VERY slow read, and doesn't pick up much until the halfway point, 3) some motifs were very well-played, while others were a bit overused and overdone, 4) gonna be honest, not a fan of the ending. I somewhat understand what the point of the ending was supposed to mean, but I just think it fell a bit flat in its efficacy compared to the rest of the book. But other than that, if you're looking for a genuinely funny, dark, and macabre character study, I would recommend this book.

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elsmith09's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-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

4.5

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clare2772's review against another edition

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Don’t read this book if you value your mental health

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roseaboveyou's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-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

4.0

Yeah. So. Don’t do the audiobook. Or do the front half of the audiobook, and once you get through the first Events (you’ll know when you’re there), switch to text.

It’s a lot of people’s favorite book and I get why. I have the strongest positive opinions on the writing style. The satire is hilarious (my favorite running gag is the bizarre food and fusion restaurants). But. This book needs every content warning under the sun. No reader should go into this book blind, and it’s widely known for the extremely graphic content, which is sexual, violent, and gory. There’s a type of person who finishes this book, and if you aren’t that person, do not force your way to the end. You’re going to have a terrible time.

I read this book fifteen years ago or something when I was an edgy teenager, and at first I was shocked at remembering mostly the Wall Street Guy stuff and not a lot about The Other Stuff, but I realized it must have been a hell of a lot easier to have a text and skim the super gross stuff. That’s just not possible with the audiobook. There’s also random stuff dropped throughout, so even if you skip sections, you’re still not really going to be able to avoid it. It’s often very abrupt, and hearing the words out loud makes me feel voyeuristic about stuff I don’t want to be voyeuristic about.

I’m not squeamish; I read plenty of things that are gross and gory and violent, and I watch plenty of movies and television in the same category. And I’d even argue that the amount of detail supports the consistency and structure of the text, and that it’s supposed to be there. But jfc.

It’s a love it or hate it situation, and to be clear, I love it. There’s obviously a lot of content in the book that isn’t, well, that. Some of which makes me literally laugh out loud. But yeah. Don’t listen to it. It’s excruciating. Honestly, you miss some of the best details about the book, but the movie is fine, and I don’t feel nearly as gross when I finish it.

Content Warnings

sarah_piette's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad 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

4.0

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levitatingnumeral's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

There’s no doubt this book has been controversial from its release, with readers torn between finding it boring/disgusting or a masterpiece. I… well, somehow I wanted more.
Let’s start from what I loved most: Bateman’s vapid monologues. I see many reviews saying they made the book incredibly dull, but I actually found them to be unbelievably valuable in showing just how superficial and self-obsessed Bateman is. It’s clear he is completely unaware of the utter indifference anyone else would show towards his obsession with himself, and Bret’s narration is flawless. It truly felt like I was hearing a narcissist talking, 100% immersion.
On the other hand, I must admit I struggled a bit to keep track of the level of Bateman’s unreliability. Since the characters were (purposefully) so similar, at times I would catch myself wondering if it truly was Bateman unreliably reporting the actions of his peers or if it was me mixing up the characters. I will give Bret the benefit of the doubt, though, because maybe this was the very effect he wanted to create. He has talked about how the core of the plot is something he himself is unsure of and left open for interpretation, so perhaps it was his intent to make us readers wonder at all times whether we were misremembering or if it was a lie. It would make perfect sense, in the context of Bateman’s constant manipulation.
What I definitely wanted more of, though, was… a certain kind of consistency in two specific aspects:
1. The effect of drugs on Bateman. We see him, at one point, break down and practically black out. But after the worst occurrence, it seems like this aspect was just left out.
2. The ending. It felt so abrupt I was completely lost. I wanted maybe a few more threads to be pulled tighter. I don’t want answers, but maybe I would’ve enjoyed if I had relevant, confusing points being weaved into a torn, fuzzy, mismatching fabric to drive home just how unsure I should be.

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