A review by moonzetsu
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

challenging dark 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

4.75

I've never been so conflicted on a book. I loved yet hated it, it's a fantastic book that I'll never read again, a book I loved yet will not recommend to anybody bar a select few of my friends. 

Let's get one thing straight: This book can be terribly boring. Our lovable, stand-up protagonist Patrick Bateman loves to go into great detail about the clothes people are wearing and the accessories they have on their person. He goes into chapter-long monologues about his morning routine and music he listens to. I forced myself to drudge through these parts out of morbid curiosity. (Things will get graphic in the spoiler tags, so click at your own risk.)

And the murder/torture scenes are some of the most stomach-churning I've ever had the (dis)pleasure(?) of reading. This book is told from the POV of a narcissistic sociopath and it shows - the murder scenes are described with the same monotone boredom as the sex and casual chatter scenes. For example, when Bateman
stabs the eyes out of a homeless man and maims his dog, and that's one of his LEAST heinous murders
it is described as the most natural thing in the world, almost like he's done it a thousand times before, the most natural thing in the world. I've never put a book down out of nausea before, so congrats, Ellis.

Very few of the characters in this book are remotely likeable people: they are all shallow, self-interested people, with few exceptions. Jean, Bateman's secretary, and the various sex workers Bateman hires,
all of whom except Jean meet terribly grisly, sexual ends.
Let's get another thing out of the way: this book is misogynistic. This is not to say Ellis himself is misogynistic, I don't know the man enough to describe him as such, but Bateman especially seems to have it out for women, and treats all but two like dirt: only because it would be suspicious for him to do so.
Of course, given that Bateman is hinted to be very mentally ill and hallucinating the murders, there's a chance few or none of these happened at all.


The writing style is.. odd. As mentioned previously, it is from the POV of a narcissistic, shallow sociopath, and everything is described as such. Chapters can start and stop mid-sentence,
especially when Bateman is having a psychotic breakdown or panic attack
and it feels as though everyone is talking over each other. 

It's a fascinating book and a scathing critical satire on consumerism that still applies today. Despite my high rating, however, I can't recommend it to anyone. It's extraordinarily hard to push through, be it because of boring fashion, conversation, or gruesome murder/torture scenes. 
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