swaggle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Abortion, Antisemitism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child death, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Classism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Vomit, Violence, and Xenophobia
sidekicksam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I won't be giving a summary of the premise - we all know the story. I don't think I've ever written such an extensive brain dump before, but then again, American Psycho will evoke strong feelings. If you're planning on reading this, don't read on and just go ahead and read it. But beware of the trigger warnings because the violence and gore is everything you heard about and worse. Also: if you do read this in its entirety: thank you and I'm sorry for all the rambling.
Some random thoughts that have floated in and out of my mind when I just finished it:
- Is this how men feel when they read unhinged women books?
- I don't think I've ever had such physical reactions to reading passages in a book, ever.
- Is this the most fucked up thing I've ever read?
Spoiler
(And I read the book with the underage gangbang and the ones about humans being bred and slaughtered for consumptionSpoiler
- Is this one of the best things I've ever read? Is it?
After sleeping on it, and letting it simmer for a bit (
Spoiler
like Bateman did with the various women he atePat Bateman is a white, rich, and handsome man, but those who have it all and never have to worry a day in their life also bear a great deal of boredom and emptiness. We see it in the characters other than the protagonist of The Secret History, as well as the main character of My Year of Rest and Relaxation. For some reason, these people don't seem to be equipped to deal with the mundanity of the world. Of life.
Who would? If you don't cook a day in your life because going out to a different restaurant every night is something everyone in your social circle does, and if you can get cocaine as easily as a pack of gum in the supermarket, what else is special anymore? What do you have to make you feel something? Bear in mind that dysfunctional families that value appearances and out-shining each other over actual loving and caring relationships are the norm in the upper class, and it's no wonder our protagonist doesn't feel anything.
The ego-centric mindset of the characters in this book is so well written, I don’t think I’ve rolled my eyes even once. Despite having followed them on several nights out, dates and dinners, I have no real sense of who the characters besides Bateman actually were or did. I don’t think he did either. But then again, they also mistake each other for other people all the time too, and they all don't care about being mistaken for someone else either.
Spoiler
I even wondered at times whether Bateman actually makes those confessions of being a murderer and torturer of women to his “friends”, or whether he imagines himself confessing it to them. The further I got into the book it became apparent that he did actually try to cross the boundaries of secrecy and recklessness, to the point where he is almost caught. The cop-chase scene is so intense he even dissociates for a bit which makes it even more intense.The consumer state-of-mind, with the (imagined?) competition for who has the best clothing, taste in women/restaurants/drugs, uses the proper skin care products and who takes care of their body best, is central to the book, and is what makes it such a relatable work of satire. I (obviously) can’t relate to Bateman’s homicidal tendencies, but I can sure understand why he’d be obsessed with having the fanciest business card or the newest of the new stuff.
And to just state the most insanely amazing thing about this book: I don’t think I’ve ever had any other feelings for a serial killer than pure loathing, but he’s so well written: you get what drives him to do it? He’s an absolute repugnant, foul, disgusting human being, but if you don’t have to worry a day in your life about money, retaining your job, or even getting caught, it's little wonder this is what money and power drives you to.
Spoiler
I mean, isn't his behavior and lack of human emotion reminiscent of what Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, etc. etc. have done? No, they didn't murder, but they used people the same way Bateman did. If you want to compare him to serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer comes closest, be it not for the fact that he wasn't a rich snob that got away with it all. Who knows who's out there being an ACTUAL Pat Bateman.It would have made him a better person if he decided to get a thrill or some feeling by helping in war zones or doing another extreme sport every day, but it wouldn’t have made him such a compelling character. (I hereby promise that if I ever get that filthy rich, I'll just buy libraries and drown myself in books rather than go down the Bateman road)
Spoiler
And yet. There is also still a hint of doubt that it might all have just been an elaborate fantasy. There are some clues as to the guy who doesn’t believe he killed Paul because he had dinner with him the week before, the apartment that was suddenly cleaned out of all the bodies. But then again, there is that taxi driver who recognizes him from the posters... And the fact that the rich can also just use their money and influence to make things (disappearances, murders and other atrocities to people who no one cares about anyway (i.e. sex workers)) disappear (again: Epstein, Weinstein, Trump, etc. etc.). So many layers, theories, and mystery that still surrounds the guy after 400 pages. Brilliant.Graphic: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Classism, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
thereadingdude's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual harassment, Murder, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Abortion
krispiefries's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Infidelity, Murder, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
sarahmalopia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Sexual violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Death, Torture, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Animal death, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, Fatphobia, and Abortion
katharinaamaliae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Torture, Child death, Misogyny, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Gore, Racism, Sexual violence, and Violence
isabellamae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Death, Hate crime, Violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, and Torture
just have a good think before reading it if you ACTUALLY want to read this (for your own mental health)scarletkeiller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Drug use, Excrement, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Rape, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Torture, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Body horror, Cursing, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Animal death, Classism, Fatphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
miraa_exe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual violence, Racism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Gore, Rape, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Sexual assault, and Violence
zakcebulski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Spoiler
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Yeah, I don't know about this book.
Let me start off by saying that I think that this book was written exceedingly well, and, in fact his book is a very clever satire on the hyper-material focused lifestyle of New York Yuppie culture.
In this book we follow Patrick Bateman who is an investment banker, though funnily enough, we never actually see him doing any work.
Patrick is more worried about his outward physical appearance and getting reservations at all of the most hip locations in NYC.
Patrick is also, supposedly, a serial killer.
Patrick spends his time hyperfixating on his looks with lengthy diatribes pertaining to each piece of the suit- whom it was made by, and even the cost. Now, these sections, which often cover paragraphs and paragraphs can be drawling and sloggish, but, in essence that is the point.
The point is that Patrick and his friends are so obsessed with their appearances that they spout off the most nuanced detail in an effort to seem cultured (The Patty Winters Show was on...) and also, to give an air of superiority- we know about something that you can't understand.
But, it comes off as overly redundant and stupid because.... why would we care? It makes people look very silly in putting so much effort into knowing the minute of every single thing.
Going off of this there are several (and I mean several) times when Bateman is confused for another character because they are all described as the same fucking person. And, in essence, they all want to be the same person, which is insane to think about. I think that this plays into the criminal idea of "hiding in plain sight" which is not hard when you consider that there are no differences between dozens of affluent white men all striving to be the same idealized version of a Gordon Gekko "Greed is Good" type character while delving into the hedonistic vices of the 80s and early 90s.
A lot has been talked about this book's approach to sex and its very hyper- masculine tone. I can absolutely see how the subjugation and subservience of women can be offensive, I think that Ellison strikes a delicate balance in this book, albeit one that is still not fun to read.
Ellison's writing can absolutely come off as misogynistic when read through a totally genuine and played straight tone. However, I think that he is actually attempting to bring the readers in on the joke and poke fun at people who think and act like Bateman and his friends. I do not think that Ellison actually believes the shit that he writes about toward women in general, but, whether or not he succeeds in his subversive satire on the overtly masculine yuppie culture is up to the individual reader to decide.
I cannot, nor would I want to tell people who are offended by the overt misogynistic tones of Bateman and his friends that they are wrong or just don't understand. Because, at the end of the day, I think that that is the exact critique that Ellison is going for.
Now, on to the serial killer side of things. I think that Ellison writes Bateman to be a very Humbert Humbert style of character- i.e. one that is wholly unreliable and daydreams about committing heinous acts, while not actually doing them, meanwhile being totally capable of committing them. I for one do not believe that Bateman committed any of the heinous acts that he described in the book. I think that they were total fantasies. With that said, I do also believe that Bateman was/ is also totally capable of committing these crimes.
I truly think that he was just one step away from snapping and going on a murder spree that he described.
With all of that said, I also think that the graphic depictions of murders, rapes, necrophilia, animal abuse and body defilement are some of the most graphic and vile things that I have read in a very long time, and possibly ever. There were some parts of these descriptions where I had to lower the book and take the a breather before continuing.
I think that this is where the book started to lose me a bit. I know that the entire point- the emphasis- was in Bateman supposedly committing these abhorrent crimes and then on the next page describing some mundane facet of life pertaining to his attire or a restaurant or something... but, it just didn't work for me because I felt that the entire message was "you never know how well people are hiding behind a mask of sanity". But, Bateman isn't. Bateman is a prick throughout the book, and not one that I think is portrayed as believably sane, or not a colossal asshole. To me, it is entirely feasible that he is a serial killer who is just on the edge of murder.
Coming from a knowledge base of true crime studies there are many killers who when they are caught the general consensus is- "no way it could be _____!"
Bateman is not that. Bateman is a piece of shit who is the walking archetype of a person that is totally capable of committing crimes against those he sees as less than.
Overall, I think that this book is a great and scathing criticism of consumeristic culture and material pursuits.
I think that it does fall flat in terms of its portrayal of Bateman being a complete madman who is actually a horrific murderer. But, maybe that was the point- maybe Bateman thinks that he is pulling one over on us and the world that he inhabits, but I don't know.
This is one of those books that I would have a son of a gun time recommending to anybody because of its subject matter. While I do think that the book is meant to be read as a non-serious and satirical take on the hypermasculinity of the 1980s Wall Street scene ala The Wolf of Wall Street, I cannot in good faith say that people who are offended or off put by this book are wrong. I think that this book rides a very very thin line between overtly satire and the real-life fantasies of people who do walk among us. I think that there is a very specific mindset one had to be in to read this book and not throw it across the room in disgust at the subject matter, and when you're in that mindset, I think that there are sections that do work well as poking fun at materialistic consumerism culture that was and is so prevalent in the USA as a symbol of "I am better than you".
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Gore, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Alcohol, Animal death, Cannibalism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Mass/school shootings, Sexual harassment, Addiction, and Emotional abuse