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80hannah08 's review for:
American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Cannibalism
Minor: Domestic abuse, Abortion