A review by notlikethebeer
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
challenging
dark
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
4.25
My first buddy read! And uh... what a place to start.
To be really honest, I still don't know what to make of this book.
It was so incredibly clever - and so incredibly, unbelieveably grim. It's been interesting to see how much of a 'big deal' it is within mainstream culture, yet how much of that is probably largely attributable to just the movie. Part of me wants to say that the violence, horror and general atrocity is gratuitous, and goes beyond the level 'required' to make the points that BEE was making. But then I wonder whether to say that is to dismiss some of the point? Similarly, it's easy to go for the whole 'okay but clearly none of this could possibly have happened' stance - but that, too, feels like a kind of betrayal of the actual book, a way of making it more palatable.
The racism, misogyny and homophobia present within this book are really unparalleled to any other book within mainstream culture. I think that raises questions though, particularly regarding separating the author from the work, and whether a work that portrays x view necessarily promotes that same view.
Mostly, I just have a lot of questions. I felt quite relieved once I finished reading it, and I've felt a bit nervous about writing this review. I want to sit with my thoughts and feelings on it for a lot longer, to try and figure out a bit more about what it is I want to say!
To be really honest, I still don't know what to make of this book.
It was so incredibly clever - and so incredibly, unbelieveably grim. It's been interesting to see how much of a 'big deal' it is within mainstream culture, yet how much of that is probably largely attributable to just the movie. Part of me wants to say that the violence, horror and general atrocity is gratuitous, and goes beyond the level 'required' to make the points that BEE was making. But then I wonder whether to say that is to dismiss some of the point? Similarly, it's easy to go for the whole 'okay but clearly none of this could possibly have happened' stance - but that, too, feels like a kind of betrayal of the actual book, a way of making it more palatable.
The racism, misogyny and homophobia present within this book are really unparalleled to any other book within mainstream culture. I think that raises questions though, particularly regarding separating the author from the work, and whether a work that portrays x view necessarily promotes that same view.
Mostly, I just have a lot of questions. I felt quite relieved once I finished reading it, and I've felt a bit nervous about writing this review. I want to sit with my thoughts and feelings on it for a lot longer, to try and figure out a bit more about what it is I want to say!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Misogyny, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Murder, Gore, Blood, Torture, Sexual violence, Racism, and Homophobia
If you can think of a content warning, it probably applies, not gonna lie.