Customer Reviews

American Psycho

5 star:		(405)
4 star:		(204)
3 star:		(103)
2 star:		(59)
1 star:		(184)

 

 

I decided to read American Psycho after hearing the title whispered in social circles. It's so violent. Too graphic. What's the point? Comments only fueled my desire to read the novel Bret Easton Ellis tried to get published in 1992, without great success, for some time.

No matter the genre, a novel is successful if it makes the reader think, pause and reassess the world. Ellis' novel offers a satirical look into the pampered New York elite through the eyes of an original and sociopath main character.

What Works:

Narration: The first-person narration captures the reader instantly, introducing Patrick's innermost thoughts and fastidious rituals, such as cleaning his body with more products than your local Rite-Aid. Patrick takes the reader along to trendy, $25-cover clubs, scouting for "hardbodies" and lamenting about cheap drugs sold on the dance floor. Ellis has made a wise choice using Patrick as the narrator. As you read, you are engaged, participating. What is interesting is how the reader is both involved, and detached simultaneously (bringing me to the next point...)

Characters: Are sufficiently flat and underdeveloped, working both to keep the reader from empathizing too greatly with a victim, while also serving to support the satirical edge that in life, nobody gets too close. Patrick's monotonous lifestyle of work, working out, renting videos and spotting Les Miserables posters is all too familiar. He (as so many other characters in the book) cannot tell one acquaintance from another. Everyone in Patrick's world looks alike, corporate paper dolls with trophy wives/ lovers.

Structure: Easton uses run-on sentences and fragments to simulate the breakdown of Bateman's mind. Some chapters will end with an incomplete thought, others will explode with angry stream-of-consciousness.

Satire: The violence in the novel is not simply a gruesome, gratuitous tool. Granted, Bateman conceives of some of the most "innovative" murder scenes around, yet Bateman is raging against his deadened society, trying to "feel something." Bateman's actions mock everything our capitalistic society holds dear--wealth, status, the rat race, the American dream.

What Doesn't Work:

Real or Illusion? Readers wonder if Ellis has created a scenario where all of the events are completely fabricated in Bateman's mind. Some ambiguity in the plot leads to this conclusion--a maid cleaning his apartment after a slaughter and "not noticing anything," dry cleaners ignoring repeated bloodstains on dress shirts, a realtor selling an acquaintance's apartment after Bateman left a grisly tableau behind (which is later inexplicably cleaned & unreported to police--by whom?) This uncertainty may frustrate you.

So now when I hear "It's so violent, too graphic, what's the point?" I wonder if it refers to the innovative novel, American Psycho, or perhaps life itself? You decide. Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to Ellis, but very much on my mind since I purchased it off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

English teachers everywhere decry the shocking decline of literary merit in the deluge of writing to be found on the shelves of bookstores today. Most authors are content to write passingly entertaining stories that contain no more impact than the weight of the book itself. American Psycho, however, rides the line.

Like all works of literary merit, A.P. requires a reader of some patience and discerning knowledge, especially at its onset, where the anti-hero, Patrick Bateman, painstakingly details the clothing, fragrances, and routines of himself and the satellite characters. As his madness begins to dominate his life, these lists shorten, indicating that Patrick's only concept of sanity is tied into the ridiculous and meaningless value statements society has placed on such things as Pierre Cardin luggage and designer eyewear.

Some reviewers have called Patrick an emotionless character, when nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, it is Patrick's emotion that compels him to kill. Ellis has so delicately woven the more revealing aspects of Bateman's cruel soul into the sometimes benumbing lists of status symbols that the point can be easily lost (reading these reviews, that much is obvious), but the truth is, Ellis has a point. A powerful one.

He tips his hand somewhat in the last four or five pages of the book, when a yuppie named Price discusses the inconsistencies between Regan's outward appearances and his inner personality. This is where the novel's metaphors find their strongest purchase, and so become the most heavy-handed, but it remains a fine conclusion to a meticulously created story.

Of course, the book is severe and explicit, but not for shock's sake and not for the same reason that, say, pornography is. Although Bateman's flat candor when discussing his actions is often deeply disturbing, more so is the response he receives when he attempts to confess, to share, to purge his evil by exposing it to the light of day. The light of day, this novel seems to say, can be just as deceptive, discouraging, and ineffective as anything else, and when Patrick's bloodlust finally does seep into his daylight hours, and his hold on his sanity begins to slip for good, nothing really changes.

Perhaps the best contrivance of the book is that Patrick lives in a world of indistinguishable stereotypes. Very few characters, in fact, know who anyone else is, and so they are all referred to alternately by half a dozen different names. Again, although Ellis' point grows somewhat obtuse during these points, the impact remains just as pointed as his more subtler themes.

For those of you who prefer to stick to beach books, hard-boiled thrillers, and light romances, this is not your cup of tea. For those of you who are wondering what actually happened to literature and if the novel as art is in fact dead, then you should sit down with American Psycho and be horrifyingly refreshed.

Patrick Bateman embodies the epitome of American materialism and consumerism. Furthermore, he is proof that one can have it all, monetarily speaking, and yet still have insatiable desires. Alas, money is definitely not everything. He's a mere pawn at the hands of corporate America whose existence is truly devoid of real substance. When not working on wallstreet, club hopping, or buying designer label items, Patrick Bateman lives an alternate lifestyle. During the day, he seems like any other normal man trying to make a living in Manhattan. His personal life, however, is extremely morbid and quite gruesome.

Ellis takes the reader inside the mind of the worst kind of serial killer. One who's cool, calm, collected, and yet randomly and intermittently irrational when succumbing to his desires. It's never quite clear to the reader what Bateman's motives are, nor is it at all evident that he understands his motives himself. This certainly serves to enhance this blatantly disturbing experience. Furthermore, the melodramatic first-person narrative is overtly passive, making it all the more unsettling.

The author does a wonderful job in this novel of depicting some of societies shortcomings. Our materialistic society is so wrapped up in fashion and technology that it's disgusting. In addition, we live in a world where violence is so commonplace that we've become numb to so much of it. Ellis uses Bateman's torturous murders to mirror these trends. With each killing, Bateman becomes more and more violent and gruesome. The same old style fails to excite him, and new techniques need to be persued.

This novel is definitely not for the easily disturbed, as it is probably the most horrifically disgusting and disturbing book I have read. I can certainly understand why this book was so incredibly controversial when it came out. However, it is also a great piece of modern literature. My only complaint is that Ellis drills into the reader's head the concept of materialism. Bateman's descriptions of attire can make for rather tedious reading, and at times made me want to put the book down.

Also recommended: "Exquisite Corpse" by Poppy Z Brite and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

This book lingers in your mind like a bad song. I found the violence and graphic scenes incredibly disturbing & hard to read. Even when he describes the character having sex that doesn't end in murder & mayhem, it is all surface, like watching a hamster or other type of animal doing it's mating thing, then going off to have its dinner with no further thought or significance to what just happened before.

It's very EERIE indeed that the cover picture shows a man's face half-lit, and half in shadow, and on the back cover, the author is also pictured with his face half-lit, half in shadow, only on the opposite sides.

You can't help but wonder that the author himself must be a very troubled person to even *think* such things, let alone put them to paper.

I now find myself in the unfortuante situation of now having read the book, seeing things in daily life & hearing things in conversation that directly take me back to something in the book. And this from the most innocent things, yet now there is a smear of horror laying below the surface. Like picking up a glass of wine. Like seeing someone wearing a nice tie. Like seeing a dog walk down the street. Like seeing an album cover. A poster for a movie.

He links everything in normal day-to-day life that has some obsessive note to his psychotic character that somehow leaves a shadow over everything.

I was actually DEPRESSED for DAYS after reading this book. It's as if the author is saying, okay, here it all is, now what's the purpose of it all??

'American Psycho' is a truly great book. Extremely witty, dark and well written. Easily his best book. In fact, none of his others really compare...at all. Not an enlightening read, but very fun.

After 42 years of reading in all genres, I've finally found a book that is total worthless garbage, never to re-read again, and will find no place on my shelves. While I have nothing against violence and gore, and reading about serial killers is in my top five list of books to read, this book simply stinks. Besides the characters, whom you cannot get into at all, the book jumps around and even includes reviews of various musicians! Several chapters are totally devoted to this. The book doesn't tell a good in-depth story, has no discernible plot, lousy characters, and ridiculous reviews which add nothing to the book. I'm sorry I wasted money and time on it. Save yours and read something much better and worth your time and money.

American Psycho is a literary masterpiece. The story goes from hilarious situation and does a 180 degree turn right into the morbidly disturbing. Nonetheless it is hard to put this down, even though some of the parts can be a tad bit tough to swallow. This book will make your skin crawl. But it will also make you stop and think. Personally I don't believe Ellis intended it to target just the yuppies of the 1980's. I believe the point is a serial killer could be anyone you know. The descriptions of Bateman and his cronies are very much the same. Bateman is exactly like everyone else. As a matter of fact throughout the entire book he is mistakenly identified as other yuppie men. Likewise, his buddies are always arguing as to who is sitting at the end of the bar. If you're not faint-of-heart and like a riveting read, try American Psycho along with McCrae's "Katzenjammer" which is not about what it sounds like, but rather a complex psychological look at corporate greed, bad art, New York, and dysfunction. It's the flip side of "Psycho."

I have always loved the movie.

Once I read the book I was even more impressed.

This is a work of art !

American Psycho is a literary masterpiece. The story goes from hilarious situation and does a 180 degree turn right into the morbidly disturbing. Nonetheless it is hard to put this down, even though some of the parts can be a tad bit tough to swallow. This book will make your skin crawl. But it will also make you stop and think. Personally I don't believe Ellis intended it to target just the yuppies of the 1980's. I believe the point is a serial killer could be anyone you know. The descriptions of Bateman and his cronies are very much the same. Bateman is exactly like everyone else. As a matter of fact throughout the entire book he is mistakenly identified as other yuppie men. Likewise, his buddies are always arguing as to who is sitting at the end of the bar. If you're not faint-of-heart and like a riveting read, try American Psycho along with McCrae's "Katzenjammer" which is not about what it sounds like, but rather a complex psychological look at corporate greed, bad art, New York, and dysfunction. It's the flip side of "Psycho."

I don't think I have ever read a better character portrayal than the one presented in American Psycho. Ellis is so skilled at bringing Patrick Bateman to life that it can be disturbing to read. I wouldn't be surprised if this book has become a standard text for criminologists at FBI training centers. On one level, Bateman is the embodiment of evil, on another, he is representative of a superficial mindset that Ellis obviously knows and has studied very well. Ellis is out to have some fun by forging these two aspects together in one person, explaining homicidal rage as an extension of vanity and pathological materialism. Bateman's crowd is the smart set, not exactly hip, at the top of the social rung of Manhattan; they are young, rich and educated. The conversations Ellis records are very funny. He exaggerates manners and employs a style that approaches slapstick. The conversations are so convincing, so well wrought, that they have a life of their own, echoing those of our own world. It is a powerful satire that strikes at the very core of our being. We have all encountered these people at one time or another and have probably even acted in similar fashion ourselves. It is worth reflecting on to understand why Ellis made the choices he did in writing this book, why he chose a serial killer to analyze this pathology and why he includes several graphic passages of unimaginable cruelty. To say the book is a criticism of 80s Wall Street greed is simplistic; Wall Street is Wall Street, the same then as it is now and always has been. Ellis is making a much larger indictment of society, and the Wall Street characters are merely the most convenient targets, and perhaps the best (worst) exemplars of what he wants to illustrate. The conclusion is obvious: when man worships mammon, he loses his humanity. The extreme case is Patrick Bateman, the American Psycho, and although we may not all become serial killers, the American obsession with brands is a dehumanizing pathology. This is the reason Ellis describes in detail the attire of each character on every occasion in the book (he does this perhaps a hundred times, rattling off the designer or brand name of four or five articles of clothing), as well as going into detail about restaurant names and many, many other objects. The repetition of these pricey brand names is important so as to hammer home his point over, and over, and over. He wants our attention. It is crucial to understanding the book. Where else in the narrative is there this kind of repetition? It is in the brutal murders with the gory details. Draw your own conclusions.