Reservation to the Danger Zone

I texted a friend who read this book while I was in the middle of it and said, “Good GOD American Psycho. I have never had such a visceral reaction to a book.” (Note: I had forgotten about the time I threw “Message in a Bottle” across the room because Nicholas Sparks – bleh. But I digress.)

This book…this book. I had seen the movie long ago so I thought I was mentally prepared but boy was I wrong. Patrick Bateman’s descent into madness is one of the most graphic, horrifying, relentless things I have ever consumed. Take the icky feeling you get after watching an all day Law & Order: SVU marathon and multiply it by 100 and you are getting close. I literally yelped, dropped the book on the ground and then kicked it away from me. Then I made my boyfriend read some of the more disturbing parts to understand why I was twitchy. But the thing is, I kept on reading until the end.

This novel is equal parts satire and horror. At its core it is a skewering (pun intended) of the 1980s and its narcissim, consumerism, and of course, the yuppies. Vapid people living vapid lives of wealth and desperation, leading no where. But Patrick Bateman finds a way to have meaning and passion. He is the best unreliable narrator, bending time and confusing characters. Ellis’ writes this sociopath in such a way that you really get in his head, which is the best/worst thing about this book. The way that Bateman can go from the graphically violent to the mundane with no transition is jarring and fascinating.

If you see the film before you read the book you will be completely unable to get Christian Bale’s portrayal out of your head so I recommend reading it but it is worth a watch. I definitely recommend this book because I think it is really a classic and just terrifically written but don’t say I didn’t warn you.