Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

89 reviews

savyy's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

issyd23's review against another edition

dark funny tense medium-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

4.5

Great book. I want to read Paul Owen’s novel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Literally everything in this book is cause for a trigger warming imo

daisiescaroline's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I hate that I liked this book so much. It’s been on my to buy and read list for a good couple of years but I could never be bothered to actually do anything about it. I’m so glad I read it though.
Ignoring the content, I loved the writing and narrative style and it was so easy to keep reading it and wanting to attempt to follow the thoughts and semi-disjointed story.
The actual content and characters were presented so well, in a way that as much as I probably shouldn’t have enjoyed it, I definitely did. 
There weren’t any cats but honestly, I wouldn’t want them in it anyway.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

blurhill's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Abortion

kkalicky94's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

t_c_g_'s review against another edition

dark medium-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

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

prockmatt's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.0

This book is vile and hard to read but there’s definitely something in it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Classism

chatseur's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

afroheaux's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

This book is an extremely interesting character study, but not for the faint of heart. I kept thinking to myself, “Why did he include this in such detail?” But I think that’s the point. This is how someone with Patrick’s sick and twisted mind actually acts.
The book is self aware in the way that it’s trying to show you that evil is often found in the places where we’ve been told it doesn’t: behind perfectly trimmed haircuts, handsome smiles, and wealthy apartments. We’ve deconstructed this idea a bit more since the time of this book’s publishing due to shows like SVU and Criminal Minds yet these ideas still linger in the places of power where they matter. 
This book illustrates why so many of the rich and powerful are so indifferent to human suffering. Their lives are vapid and empty, exchanges and people are interchangeable, and everything is a show. Nothing matters.
I believe Patrick is as prolific as he claims to be. The only reason why he hasn’t gotten caught is because his life is an alibi. Most of his victims are homeless or working class people that he has no connection to. Even his world, his victims are forgotten because none of them truly care about each other. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

80hannah08's review against another edition

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

4.0

Horrendous but difficult to put down. I was more disturbed by the graphic violence in this book than anything I’ve seen on screen. Aside from the gore, misogyny, racism and the lesser sins of materialism and classism abound. Is this book a criticism or glorification of its themes …?

For at least the first third of the book, I was underwhelmed. The narrator’s (Bateman) obsessive commentary on people’s outfits, his exaggerated materialism, the banal, meaningless dialogue with ‘friends’ was tedious. I think that’s the point. Bateman is a vacuous, shell of a man. 

Then Ellis starts to pepper the narrative with tidbits of Bateman’s psychosis. From around the second half of the book, his inner world is revealed to us at an increasing pace. The writing crescendos when he is at his most unhinged and desperate. It often had me holding my breath as I read. At other points, I could barely bring myself to look at the page: Ellis introduces ever more graphic and disturbing scenes which are hard to put out of your mind. By the end, I was surprised to feel something close to, dare I say, sympathy for Bateman, who psychologically unravels - and so commits the most horrific abuses - without any of his ‘friends’, family or colleagues noticing. 

I finished the book with the impression that Ellis is a masterful writer. I’m not sure I could bring myself to read American Psycho again, though. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Cannibalism

Minor: Domestic abuse and Abortion