American Psycho
Bret Easton Ellis
1991
416 pages
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Ever heard of transgressive fiction? Me, neither. According to wikipedia (hey, it’s convenient), transgressive fiction “focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways. Because they are rebelling against the basic norms of society, protagonists of transgressional fiction may seem mentally ill, anti-social, or nihilistic. The genre deals extensively with taboo subject matters such as drugs, sex, violence, incest, pedophilia, and crime.”
American Psycho is transgressive fiction.
It is also the most disturbing book I have ever read. The rape/torture/murder scenes are horrifically brutal, and the narrator is so disaffected that it becomes even more chilling. I kid you not…there is NO emotion in this book. Oh wait…there’s rage.
And to make it even worse, you never even know if anything in the book really happens.
Patrick Bateman is filthy rich, ridiculously handsome (according to himself) and possessed of a most excellent tan, very interested in proper attire and home decor (using only the best brands, of course), obsessed with working out (and returning his videotapes on time), and he works on Wall Street. Doing what, I never quite figured out. It seemed like he spent more time lunching and dinner-ing than he did working.
He is a yuppie of the highest order.
He’s also got a bit of a problem with murdering people. Brutally. And just when you think he’s done something so horrific it can’t get any worse, it does. As I mentioned before, whether the murders are just fantasies or actually happened is never disclosed. I tend to subscribe to the fantasy theory myself, since his method of body disposal is so ridiculous and blatant, it seems there’s no way he could escape getting caught. However, I also think that some of the stuff actually happened. Maybe. While I have a hard time calling a book that is so brutal genius, that is part of its genius. It leaves you wondering. For days. Weeks, even. When all you want to do is forget the whole experience ever happened!
And after reading a few too many interviews with the author, I’m even more unsettled. He calls all of his books semi-autobiographical. He says the genesis of American Psycho was in his own New York experiences, a time when he was too caught up in materialism and felt increasingly alienated. He talks about his experiences with coke and watching women have sex (and all these things are key elements in the book). He claims he lies in interviews. He claims he never lies in interviews. He’s practically as disturbing as his damn book!
So after reading both Red Dragon and American Psycho for this year’s Dueling Monsters, I am declaring Patrick the worst monster. Admittedly, Hannibal only has a few scenes in Red Dragon, so it might not seem like a fair battle. But Hannibal’s reputation precedes him, so you could say he has an unfair advantage. What Patrick does to women (even if it is only in his mind) makes him the most disturbing, atrocious monster I have ever had the misfortune to read about. He’s also not that nice to men, but the torturing of women is beyond awful. Not only is he worse than Hannibal, he’s worse than any of the other monsters we’ve ever pitted against each other in the four years we’ve been doing Dueling Monsters.
Also, as much as it kills me to say this, I think Bret Easton Ellis has more talent as a writer. Not that I plan on reading any more of his books. One was more than enough.
How are you doing with the Dueling Monsters reading? Mr. Linky will be up on October 17th over at The Estella Society, so you can link up to your reviews then.
This is also one of my R.I.P. reads.
The movie was disturbing enough so I can just imagine what the book is like.
I am with Kathy on this one. In fact, the movie was SO disturbing that I conveniently “forgot” to participate in Dueling Monsters this year… I have never been able to look at Christian Bale the same, which is sad, because I used to like looking at him a lot…
I didn’t see the movie, which…I don’t know why I haven’t seen it because we are usually all over the disturbing stuff here. But the book, I’m not sure. You had me pumped up about it then Trisha wrote a DNF review today that completely chased me off.
I think you did an excellent job of stating why Patrick was the bigger monster here, and I will agree with you. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but it gave me nightmares. I think I liked Hannibal’s intelligence, which is why I initially chose him, but you have given me the chance to realize that I was wrong! Patrick was a sicko.
Awesome review! And even though there’s ALL THE HORRIBLE I oddly still want to see what the hooplah is about. I probably won’t in time for the Linky but I like the idea of trying to read this one and then bitching at you for making me interested.
No, I hadn’t heard the term transgressive fiction before. Very good review.
I’m typing this comment on my 21-inch screen iMac while wearing my Faded Glory Pajamas and Hanes all-cotton hi-cut briefs. I’m reading the book now (thanks so much … kind of) and I’m veering between appalled and amused. The fact that these guys constantly mistake each other for someone else is a running joke that cracks me up — as is the detailed rundown of what everyone is wearing and the brand name (including the pocket squares). I’ve gotten to a few of the horrible scenes and fear the rest. It is an oddly compelling book, and I’m curious to see how it ends. I’m going to have to agree with you now that Bateman would be worse than Lecter — the utter lack of emotion or concern or interest just takes him over the edge.
Now I’m curious about the author too.
I was afraid to read the review…LOL
I’ll try it sometime in daylight.
I almost, almost want to pick it back up and finish reading. But I just can’t.
I couldn’t make it through the movie, so I’d have to agree.
Hmmm, never seen the movie and never read the book either. This post makes me wonder if perhaps ignorance really is bliss and I am better off keeping things just as they are?
Well argued! I subscribe to the fantasy theory too — his attempts to cover up his murders were so slipshod from the beginning, and the whole bizarre delusion seemed to be unraveling, more and more, toward the end. But many will debate this.
I agree with everything you said. Gifted writer … bent and disturbing book.
Oh man, I would never read this. The movie sounded upsetting and if possible this sounds even worse. I am pretty squeamish.
It’s been over 20 years since I read American Psycho. I still carry some images I can’t scrub from my brain.
I knew this one wasn’t for me…and then that creepy guy started following ya’ll on Twitter…nuh-uh, not me, no way.
Everything I’ve read about Bret Easton Ellis makes him seem kind of douchey. It’s kind of disturbing that someone can even write a book like this. Glad you made it through. You are braver than I am.
I thought about the fantasy thing too. Especially when he went back to the one apartment and found it for sale with an open house in progress. Seems to me it would require a little cleaning up. But he mentions his maid numerous times and how she just continues to clean up his messes without batting an eye. Money. It comes down to money. Could you pay someone to take care of it without batting a eye? Probably.
The ridiculous disposal of the bodies was just another thumbing of the nose if you ask me. He is a well dressed guy carrying a body. Had he been a homeless guy, he would have been stopped.
This is a book that has stayed with me since I read it years ago, because it is just SO powerful. But I have to admit that I found it hard-going at the time. It is one of the few books I’ve ever read that I had to put down and have a little rest because it was making me feel physically sick. But there has to be something to be said for writing so strong that it can provoke that kind of visceral reaction! Never seen the film though, and don’t think I want to.
I found your blog via the RIP VII review page – great review.
I saw the movie and it was disturbing. Probably close to the book in that department.
I didn’t know anything about the author, but now I’m curious (but I don’t want to be too curious or else I’ll get sucked in).
I felt the same exact way when I found out that Easton Ellis considers this autobiographical. It makes me a little afraid to read any of his other novels! I’ve always wanted to read his Less Than Zero though, if only because it was a fascinating movie with a great cast.
As traumatized as I was when reading it, I still cannot help but admire Easton Ellis’ talent and the fact that a month later, I am still gushing over this book. Impressive.
I’ve seen the movie and although I did find it disturbing, I rather liked it as most of the violence was off screen (oops). However, I haven’t tried the book yet as I’ve been warned off it by a friend of mine – I think the violence is more explicit in the book. Hm, not sure if I will now.