Quality novel - Patrick Bateman stand out character (American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis)

Member Name: Kpnuts158

Product:	American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis
Date:	24/11/08 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Themes. Setting.

Disadvantages: Disturbing parts

What a quality novel. To enjoy this fully you need to move past the gore, blood and quite frankly sickening parts, and look at the underlying message and themes of the book. Sure, you can read this for a cheap thrill (if this kind of stuff floats your boat). But to get more out of it, think of the setting and think of the main character. Ellis' creation of Patrick Bateman is superb. Patrick could be ripped out the pages of Shakespeare. I can't think of a darker but more comic character than him. Because for everything he does, and all that he has, you just can't take him seriously.

Bateman portrays everything that the young and financially mobile stood for in the 80s. The obsession with image. The trophy girl. The gym membership. The bars you drink in. The food you eat. The importance of your business card. But what lies beneath it all? A vacuum. And that is the point of the book. For most that the vacuum that exists will be filled with nothing. With Bateman he fills it with murderous deeds and heinous acts against fellow humanity. But at the end of it, what is his identity? Who is he? What does he stand for? What does he have? Nothing, nothing, nothing.

Read this. Engage. Enjoy.

Summary: Get past the reputation as a gore fest, and enjoy it for what it is.