Less Than Zero
Book
In 1985, Bret Easton Ellis shocked, stunned and disturbed with his debut novel, Less Than Zero....
Back to Moscow
Book
Recalling the open-hearted honesty of Ben Lerner and the whisky-sour satire of Bret Easton Ellis,...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Rules of Attraction (2002) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Catalina: A Novel
Book
A magnetic, provocative debut novel chronicling a young woman’s downward spiral following the end...
mystery fiction
Leigh J (71 KP) rated American Psycho (2000) in Movies
Nov 10, 2019
Based on the Novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis; American Psycho is a very chic, bloodsplattered love letter to the '80s. I love the New Wave Soundtrack which complements the film perfectly; especially when paired with Music fan Bateman's own two cents about certain Bands and tracks. The Cast are absolutely amazing; I love how connected they are to each other yet also hopelessly disconnected because of their jobs and knowing so many people (for example, when Patrick says the name Ed Gein, one of his "friends" says "The maitre 'd at Canal Bar?") that Bateman can get away with murder because they swear he was having Dinner with them the night of the murder! One thing that really does stick out to me about American Psycho (and still bothers me to this very day) is the HUGE ambiguity, which will make some people scratch their heads and question everything. I like ambiguity and I think American Psycho makes it work, and definitely sparks a conversation, but some people hate the Movie for those moments. It doesn't detract from how wonderful the Movie is though, and American Psycho is a cinematic beauty that should be watched by everyone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return some Videotapes...
Scream: A Memoir of Glamour and Dysfunction
Book
In this darkly funny, surprising memoir, the original "Lit Girl" and author of the era-defining...
Granta | The Magazine Of New Writing
Book and Magazines & Newspapers
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Granta is one of the world's most respected literary magazines, acclaimed for the quality of its...
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated American Psycho in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b><i>...there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I am simply not there.</b></i>
I have no idea how to verbalise the fact that this has become a new favourite book of mine, because I absolutely <i>love</i> it, but I dont want people to think Im a maniac I wasnt expecting to not love this, I mean the film is one of my favourites, so I was really looking forward to giving this a read, but I didnt expect to love it as much as I do! I feel all kinds of wrong being so amazed by this book but I cant help it. Its funny, its dark, its brutal, its shocking and its eye opening.
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/KYNywoibU1PQ4/giphy.gif" width="500" height="210" alt="leo dicaprio shrug"/>
So, Patrick Bateman, our one and only POV of this story. Batemen is a young, middle class, good looking, sophisticated and intelligent stockbroker. Hes charming and arrogant, but hes also an ax and knife and nail gun wielding mad man.
<img src="http://media0.giphy.com/media/YfdumeFM14CGc/giphy.gif" width="500" height="213" alt="americanppsychogif"/>
But hes also a total <b>goofy dork!</b> <i><b>Im clam, I mean calm, I say, breathing in hard, trying to smile</b></i> Bateman cant get a grip on himself <i>at all.</i> Not only does he have moments where hes running around Manhattan screaming like a banshee, sweating profusely, and having, what can only be described as, a mental breakdown, but hes also just a mess at all times. Hes constantly getting himself in a tizz, experiencing panic attacks all over the place. I mean he started talking about the ozone layer and then instantly told a couple of knock knock jokes, thats not smooth Bateman. This constant goofiness of Bateman is what makes this book so funny for me. Ellis is excellent at adding this clumsy human characteristic to an otherwise robotic man.
Bateman is troubled, in more ways than one. Not only is he a serial killer but hes also an outsider and he knows it. <b><i>Because, I say, staring directly at her, I want to fit.... in.</b></i> This is why hes always trying so hard to impress people, and why hes obsessed with being the best.
Normally I hate when there are long paragraphs in books that simply list things about what a person is doing or wearing, for example in Maestra I couldnt care less, but this excessive listing of things, unimportant materialist things, is such an important element of this book. These tiresome, obsessive lists give us such a clear insight, right from the start of the novel, into the incredibly paranoid, jealous and demented mind of Bateman. When we near the end of the novel Ellis does something absolutely mind blowing; he changes to third person. This sudden change on narrative has such a strong impact on the reader and is the perfect, <i>perfect</i> way of representing Patricks detachment to life.
Please, please, please do not read this book if youre faint hearted or youve gone through some terrible things in your life. I dont think this book needs specific trigger warnings, but in case you havent already guessed it, this book includes some very, <i>very</i> graphic and grotesque descriptions of torture, murder and rape. I think its quite hard to shock me, but this book made me wince and gasp quite often. I even had to put the book down briefly after reading some of the descriptions, breathe, and then get back to reading. It can be really tough on your imagination, thats for sure. <b>The rat scene </b> <spoiler>I mean I thought the scene with Bethany was bad but I had a whole other thing coming! It seriously worries me how well Ellis can describe this brutal torture. I could actually feel the bile rising in my throat when I was reading about the things Bateman did to Tiffany.</spoiler>
<img src="http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Jim-From-Office-Shiver.gif" width="300" height="169" alt="jim from office shudder"/>
Im not going to go in depth on the claim that this is a misogynistic book, all you need to know is that I dont agree with that statement in the slightest. If you want to read some more on why that notion is ridiculous please look at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/109385399?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1">karens review.</a>
This book is definitely a new favourite of mine and I can feel it becoming one of those books I read over and over again. Im so happy I finally sat down and read this, I dont regret a moment of it, plus I got it for only £2.99. Thank you Ellis for this wonderful piece of literature, I hope your other novels brings me the same joy as this did.
<i>P.S. Isnt it funny how Donald Trump is mentioned in this book over and over and over because Trump is the greatest example of everything this book represents.</i>