He said kill them before they grow.

A book review of American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis. There are spoilers, so don't read on if you intend to read the book!
I’ve just finished reading American Psycho, a controversial novel written by Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. The protagonist, Patrick Bateman, is a deranged, 26 year old with a penchant for murder in particularly psychotic fashions. Bateman, who works in 1980s Wall Street, is successful, wealthy, handsome. His Wall Street life leads him to fascinate about heinous ways of killing, particularly women. 

It’s a difficult read, I won’t deny that. Written from his point of view, Bateman describes everything in intense detail. Whether he’s describing what his business partner is wearing, or the way in which he brutally murders a prostitute, it’s in the same monotonous tone which is what makes it such a tasking read. The way it‘s read is slow sometimes. Personally I found myself reading parts but not taking it in. For example, when he’s describing what all five of his fellow diners are wearing, where the outfit is from, how much it cost. I do quite like the writing style though. The short sentences that go off on a tangent etc. A lot of the book is filled with meaningless details, that may seem boring to readers, but the constant stream of consciousness only highlights his crazy mind.

“My platinum American Express card had snapped in half, self-destructed, at one of those dinners, when I took two summer associates to Restless and Young, the new Pablo Lester restaurant in midtown, but I had enough cash in my gazelleskin wallet to pay for the meal. The Patty Winters Show were all repeats. Life was a blank canvas, a cliché.”

From that to smearing a woman’s vagina in Brie and acid to make room for a tube, ready to fit a starved rat into her, before removing the tube, leaving the rat inside her. Oh and then he cuts her in half with a chainsaw.
The book is deliberately left open, especially towards the end when his killing sprees are more often, and more intense. You never find out whether he actually kills his victims, or merely fantasises about the twisted crimes he does or does not commit.

If you’ve seen the film, you know a little bit of what to expect… but the book is so much more intense, gory and… well psychotic. I haven’t watched it for a while, but I do remember Christian Bale’s brilliant impression of being bat shit crazy (although if you’ve ever seen THAT clip with the sound guy… some will be less convinced that he’s merely acting.) So if you're not a reading person, watch the film. (Although let's be honest, they never compare!) 

Anyway, the book is a controversial, blood bath and I enjoyed it. I probably wouldn’t read it again, it’s a bit taxing, but definitely worth a read if you can sit through the whole chapters about Genesis/Whitney Houston albums, the in-depth detailing and general sickness. Very well written and it really captures the ‘American Psycho’ in Patrick Bateman.