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A review by ilman002
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
3.0
American Psycho is a novel written by Bret Easton Ellis and published in 1991. Our narrator, Patrick Bateman, muses about contemporary music, designer clothes and Donald Trump. There is little to no surprise that Patrick Bateman is a Donald Trump stan. When he's not hanging out with his Wall Street buddies and making reservation in an expensive restaurant, he brutally murders people. Yes, this novel is extremely graphic. If you have seen the movie based on this book you can pretty much get a good idea on how graphic this book is. So, if you can't stomach graphic violence against women and animals, you should probably stay away from this book.
With all of that in mind, I have to say that I largely enjoyed this novel. Brett Easton Ellis offers an excellent satire on consumerism, capitalism and just contemporary living in the US. Additionally, he succeeds in presenting the mind of a complete psychopath. Patrick Bateman is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I have seen the movie, but the book is probably x10 more graphic than the film. Brett Easton Ellis doesn't offer any answers but he poses many questions by the end of this book. This book will make you think and quite frankly get sick about the contemporary white collar working environment.
I would recommend this book to the fans of horror and transgressive fiction. If you're interested in body horror and real life monsters, you will likely find this book appealing. If you enjoy first person narratives and an unreliable narrator, you will probably find this book interesting. Just keep in mind that it is extremely graphic and definitely not for everyone. Overall, I liked what this book set out to achieve, but I felt like it was missing something. 3.5 stars.
With all of that in mind, I have to say that I largely enjoyed this novel. Brett Easton Ellis offers an excellent satire on consumerism, capitalism and just contemporary living in the US. Additionally, he succeeds in presenting the mind of a complete psychopath. Patrick Bateman is a character that will stay with me for a long time. I have seen the movie, but the book is probably x10 more graphic than the film. Brett Easton Ellis doesn't offer any answers but he poses many questions by the end of this book. This book will make you think and quite frankly get sick about the contemporary white collar working environment.
I would recommend this book to the fans of horror and transgressive fiction. If you're interested in body horror and real life monsters, you will likely find this book appealing. If you enjoy first person narratives and an unreliable narrator, you will probably find this book interesting. Just keep in mind that it is extremely graphic and definitely not for everyone. Overall, I liked what this book set out to achieve, but I felt like it was missing something. 3.5 stars.