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A review by venusdapoopiehead
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
TLDR: american psycho is a book with vivid and descriptive writing, intriguing characters, and an important message about society. it is not just a book about a serial killer-it is about the cruelty of capitalism and the intricacies of identity and mankind. it is, however, very slow paced and there’s sometimes chapters where there isn’t much plot and sometimes it’s just patrick info-dumping, and there are a lot of triggering and upsetting scenes, know yourself and your limitations.
this is, in my honest opinion, one of the greatest yet most misunderstood books ever. it’s not a book meant to idolize patrick bateman or people similar to him-you’re not supposed to like any of the characters in this book. the book is meant to criticize yuppies and capitalists, and discusses how those of a lower status in society are viewed and treated by higher ups. it’s ultimately about the cruel and dangerous affects capitalism has on society and the complexities of mankind. while this book may be fictional, the violence inflicted upon marginalized people and those in general who do not have the upper hand in society-are not fictitious and is very much a real aspect of our society that we choose to ignore or push to the sidelines because we try to make ourselves believe that mankind can’t truly be that horrible and cruel to our own kind, but as bateman said (and i hate to quote a literal serial killer but in this instance he is unfortunately right) appearances can be very deceiving, we are not as innocent as we like to believe we are. it’s a depressing but very necessary message about how our society operates.
aside from that, despite how slow this book is, the fact that there’s so many unnecessary details or chapters that i think ultimately can be skipped, and how long it’s taken me to finish it, i still absolutely loved it and i found the writing to be impeccable. even though there weren’t any likable characters, it didn’t deter me from the book because they were still so fascinating and interesting, mainly patrick bateman. he absolutely sucks, but he is written so well, and he feels REAL, and dare i say at times he is unfortunately kind of relatable (not the killing part, mainly him being extremely mentally ill is what i’m referring to when i mean he’s relatable). i will say though, if you want to read this-know your limitations, there’s a lot of horrible and grotesque scenes and topics in this book and if there’s a chance you might be triggered by it, don’t read the book, i added content warnings to this review for a reason. it’s a book meant for a select few of people-this book isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay.
this is, in my honest opinion, one of the greatest yet most misunderstood books ever. it’s not a book meant to idolize patrick bateman or people similar to him-you’re not supposed to like any of the characters in this book. the book is meant to criticize yuppies and capitalists, and discusses how those of a lower status in society are viewed and treated by higher ups. it’s ultimately about the cruel and dangerous affects capitalism has on society and the complexities of mankind. while this book may be fictional, the violence inflicted upon marginalized people and those in general who do not have the upper hand in society-are not fictitious and is very much a real aspect of our society that we choose to ignore or push to the sidelines because we try to make ourselves believe that mankind can’t truly be that horrible and cruel to our own kind, but as bateman said (and i hate to quote a literal serial killer but in this instance he is unfortunately right) appearances can be very deceiving, we are not as innocent as we like to believe we are. it’s a depressing but very necessary message about how our society operates.
aside from that, despite how slow this book is, the fact that there’s so many unnecessary details or chapters that i think ultimately can be skipped, and how long it’s taken me to finish it, i still absolutely loved it and i found the writing to be impeccable. even though there weren’t any likable characters, it didn’t deter me from the book because they were still so fascinating and interesting, mainly patrick bateman. he absolutely sucks, but he is written so well, and he feels REAL, and dare i say at times he is unfortunately kind of relatable (not the killing part, mainly him being extremely mentally ill is what i’m referring to when i mean he’s relatable). i will say though, if you want to read this-know your limitations, there’s a lot of horrible and grotesque scenes and topics in this book and if there’s a chance you might be triggered by it, don’t read the book, i added content warnings to this review for a reason. it’s a book meant for a select few of people-this book isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and that’s okay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Rape
Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Cannibalism, and Drug abuse