American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Author: Bret Easton Ellis 

Title: American Psycho 

Publisher: Picador

Published: 1991

Pages: 399

Genre: Horror / Thriller 

     Is evil something you are? Or is it something you do? Patrick Bateman has it all: good looks, youth, charm, a job on Wall Street, reservations at every new restaurant in town, and a line of girls around the block. He is also a psychopath. A man addicted to his superficial, perfect life, he pulls us into a dark underworld where the American Dream becomes a nightmare . . .

     So I watched the film based on this book quite some time ago and it was then that I added it to my to-be-read list. It is however one that I have sort of been putting off ever since adding. I knew that it contained way more continuous violence than the film contained. And that most of the reviews were either this is the greatest book ever written or my god this is the biggest piece of trash to be written. I suppose this may be said of pretty much every book ever written. Yet there must be a reason why some books go on to become considered a classic. At the end of the day, we are all left to make our own decisions as to what books we hold with the highest regard and those we don't. Still, I think sometimes you have to just put on your big-person pants and just go for it. After all, you can always stop if you're not really into it right? 

     Patrick Bateman is one of those characters who has become part of the greater zeitgeist of the literary world. Even more so when his image was splashed across the silver screen. He has become posters, t-shirts, and memes spread far and wide on the internet. I do have to wonder just how many who do so have actually read the book or come to grips with just who he is. Still, this is just the way of things so maybe we shall just move on. Bateman comes from that long line of truly horrific lead characters that we are just not meant to like. He personifies to me at least all the worst character traits that can fill the void where a soul should be. This is a man who is driven by greed and a desperate need to be the most interesting and cool person in any room. Something he seems to fall flat on every time. Bateman is just not really a very interesting person. 

     He is someone who as soon as you start to dig you realize it's just shiny things floating on top of dark stagnant swamp water. But in his world, this is perfectly fine as he could not give a flying what we the mere lonely readers care about him. We after all are merely the ants that run about his feet. There for him to torcher and play with at the whims of his crazed and dulled mind. Ellis has created a character that seems to distill all the worst traits that come to mind when we think of the eighties yuppie culture. In an unfortunately funny kind of way, these are things that seem to be coming back into fashion. Even a small trip to the land of social media and you are sure to find people who only care that you know they are considerably richer than you.  I can't help but think that if Patrick were around today he would be thriving in the world of gym bros and crypto dudes. 

     And now for the tail of the little boy who no doubt killed small animals and grew up never hearing the word no. This for me was a book that I had to take breaks from such is the nature of the beast. Ellis has done an amazing job of creating a work that does exactly what it should. As much as I enjoy a good serial killer book. Most authors shy away from the true horror in what they do. But here the author has duck-taped our heads face forward, we are not allowed to look away for fear Bateman might remove our eyelids. It is one of the few books that has made me feel uncomfortable reading its depictions of violence. I suppose this is a kudos to the author, we have perhaps become a little too desensitized, and in doing so don't take it as seriously. 

 

     This leads us on to the sex sense of which there are a great many. These too play out in great detail. But there is just a smidge of Fifty Shades to them all. Over the top and nonsensical. I would say they are all based on Bateman fulfilling some pubescent idea of what great sex should be according to porn. But at the end of the day, no one is really enjoying it much like himself it's just a whole lot of flash and dash. This is after all a man with a horrific addiction and no matter how much he tries to fill it the hole just keeps getting bigger. All in all, it is a story that I think shows us what happens if we give in to our greed and base desires. At some point, lines get crossed, and once they do well why stop there. At least this is the thinking of our lead. Thought to be fair he believes himself to be above everyone with the one exception of Donald Trump. Who crops up in this book way more than I had ever imagined he would but at the same time kinda makes sense in the context of New York in the eighties. 

     I'm glad I finally took the time to read this book. It is simultaneously the most glorious satire of yuppie culture and one of the most disturbing horror novels I have ever read. A book written to make us feel uncomfortable and never want to be in the company of such people.  I also get why for some this was a book they could just not get through or felt it was just offensive. The treatment of women throughout is an incel's wet dream. Batmen sees women as things to be used. Mere objects for his desire no matter how twisted they are.  And this should make you feel sick to your stomach, if it doesn't then maybe you need to question how you see the world. But sometimes it is good to read things that challenge us and force us to view some uncomfortable aspect of human nature and see it for what it truly is. So as I said I'm glad I took some time out of my regular reading schedule but with that said once was enough and I doubt I will need to revisit this book.