Sunday, January 11, 2009

[45] American Psycho


I'm not sure who's the maniac this time round.  Is it Bret Easton Ellis, or is it just Patrick Bateman? Either way, this is a great, yet sick and twisted book.  This book is not for the faint-hearted.  If you can barely sit through your average thriller or horror movie, then in no way are you going to be able to read this without feeling the need to be violently ill.  Fortunately I was able to stomach it, and so have come out with winning results, and a slightly sickened stomach through one section of the novel.  

I've read two books from Ellis in the past, which were removed off the current 1001 list, but are still brilliant anyway.  I've read Glamorama and Less Than Zero.  American Psycho, unlike these, is banned for sale to people under the age of 18, in Queensland, Australia. You almost must be at least 18 to borrow it out from the library.  While I may be 18, I'd have to say they weren't doing a very good job of restricting that, because I didn't have to show any ID, just walked in and got it from the holds shelves, then borrowed it out.

The way this is written, you get chunks of great descriptions of what the main character is wearing, and what clothing that involves.  Then, on the other hand, you get pages of dialogue between various characters.  Then there's the graphic scenes of either a sexual or violent nature.  I have to praise Bret Easton Ellis' writing style, because I love it.  He mentions people.  He doesn't make up celebrities, or television shows, he utilizes what the world already possesses, and works them in.  Familiar names like Tom Cruise and Donald Trump are referenced a number of times.  The main characters also attend a U2 concert.  

All in all, this is a great novel, if you can stomach it! 

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