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A review by adamgolden
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
3.0
(3/5★)
Being a pretty big fan of the movie adaption of this book, I really looked forward to reading it. On one hand, the ambiguity of Patrick's credibility (is this all actually happening, or is it all in is head?) and the way the story is left open to interpretation was great, as were the cultural references to the time the story took place in. On the other hand, the exaggerated, gruesome violence was just over the top - I could almost see Ellis writing these scenes, snickering at how much this was going to shock people. We get it, he's a sick fuck! Almost worse than the violence however, are the parts in which Bateman describes 'who is wearing what', which got old really fast. Dial this book back a hundred pages, tone down the violence and excessive details that get repeated every other chapter, and this would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Being a pretty big fan of the movie adaption of this book, I really looked forward to reading it. On one hand, the ambiguity of Patrick's credibility (is this all actually happening, or is it all in is head?) and the way the story is left open to interpretation was great, as were the cultural references to the time the story took place in. On the other hand, the exaggerated, gruesome violence was just over the top - I could almost see Ellis writing these scenes, snickering at how much this was going to shock people. We get it, he's a sick fuck! Almost worse than the violence however, are the parts in which Bateman describes 'who is wearing what', which got old really fast. Dial this book back a hundred pages, tone down the violence and excessive details that get repeated every other chapter, and this would have been a much more enjoyable read.