Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

215 reviews

isabel_is_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Toxic friendship, and Classism

sanrio_snail's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

grassgoat's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

_alyosha_'s review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

carlytenille's review against another edition

I could keep reading for the sake of finishing but I won’t enjoy it. I can’t read about

animals being tortured

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

deathmetalheron's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• 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

2.25

vAmerican Psycho is a battle between its concept and its execution. It is genuinely hard to argue that conceptually, American Psycho is basically perfect--it's an ahead of its time, notable satire that has done nothing but age incredibly well. Every critique that exists, textually or subtextually, reigns true of both the era it is set in and the modern age--Wall Street, Reagan, capitalism, masculinity, sexual violence--all of it is still sadly so, so relevant and so poignant that the underlying text just oozes with "thinkability"--the implications of so many little moments have as much, if not more, to say than the text as a whole. The real meat and essence of this story is placed within the subtle exchanges of dialogue Bateman has with his colleague and romantic partners/future victims.
And yet, in execution, AP is nothing but a slog. I read an interview with Ellis before reading where he was frustrated by the 2000 film of the book, saying that the medium of film "demands answers" and didn't let the ambiguity of the book shine through. 
The presentation of this text does nothing to aid the ambiguity. The themes are already there. I remember thinking Ellis was onto something after the first chapter until Bateman commits a murder, and despite each murder and torture sequence ramping up the pain and suffering each one loses me as a reader more and more. By the end of the book you slowly discover that there are different types of chapters--Bateman talks with colleagues, Bateman tolerates women he hates, Bateman waxes lyrical, Bateman consumes, Bateman kills. And by the end of the book I was truly sick of the mind-numbing repetitive nature of each chapter type and how little they continued to add. In spite of the little nuggets towards the end of the book (that make up some of the most memorable lines in the movie) they placed among word vomit of misogynistic killings and goofy product endorsement. 
I give credit to the concept, but if you've seen the movie, you can skip this. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Car accident, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

If you are a generally squeamish person/not interested in reading explicitly described violence/sex/sexual violence I would just avoid this book.

molly_au's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny reflective slow-paced

• 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

Very, very gruesome.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Antisemitism, and Alcohol

danhall27's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

• 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

plathandthebelljar's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism and Homophobia

avery_hutchinson's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Interesting writing style, but it felt like the book was attempting to be as vulgar and dark as possible without having much of a clear message that I could discern. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail