i can do those too
Because I was asked to review this book by some. Please forgive me if I sound like I’m on crack, and this is littered with typos and what not. I’m tired (very), stressed out (a bit) and careless (usually).
Concept:
I felt this was the strongest point of this book. I’ve always been intrigued by sadists, criminals and psychopaths. And ‘American Psycho’ examines the mind of one very deranged man trapped in a very materialistic and shallow world. However, unlike most novels, the approach is not an emphatic one. We don’t get childhood flashes into Patrick’s past, nor actually find out what triggers his actions apart from a sense of emptiness and lack of feeling.
You don’t really feel that Patrick is human, and yet - at the same time - he seems to be the most human character in the entire novel. Because, underneath his obsession for clothes and fitting in, is one very confused individual who is searching for *something*.
And the way his society doesn’t realise how crazy Patrick really is showcases how self-absorbed everyone really is. Book reviews state ‘American Psycho’ is a reflection on the 80s and so forth, but I can see parallels to today’s society too. Especially when it comes to obsession with working out, remaining young and fashion brands.
A terrifying novel because, despite its surrealism (you don’t get away with the sort of things Patrick does), it does hit home in one very striking way: appearances are deceiving, and just because someone fits into a certain role perfectly doesn’t mean he really is that way.
Writing
I’m really on the fence regarding this here. Scenery and introspection were usually spotlessly handled and beautifully written (a lot of interesting imagery!). Sex scenes were, even if they might strike a lot of you as being crude and vulgar, well handled too. The same goes for the gore.
BUT the author’s insistence on having the narrator list, numerous times, what someone is wearing in exhaustive detail, having entire chapters devoted to furniture and albums is very irritating. I get why the author did it, I can see the reasoning behind the repetition, but it doesn’t change the fact that it makes the book difficult to read. Often, I found myself wanting to stop reading, and slam the book against a wall. Mind you, I’m someone who has read her way through the likes of Faulkner, Hemingway, Dickens and Steinbeck. But the prose in this book was really something /special/. In my opinion, the author could have profited from having an editor.
So, if you’re looking for a ‘light’ read, this book really isn’t anything for you. I’m not saying the writing is bad; it’s a rough gem - worth the trouble, but difficult to get through.
Characterisation
Apart from Patrick, the other characters are really bland, and Patrick himself doesn’t really strike you as a character until the last hundred pages of the book.
Plot: Well, this book is open-ended. Very much so. If you’re looking for a story with a solid outcome, or - mind you - want something that leaves you behind with a catharsis, this really isn’t what you should be reading. If anything, I’d call this book nihilistic - at the end, you really feel nothing (just like Patrick, you feel nothing because the world is nothing and nothing changes --). It’s a thought-provoking read though.
IN A NUTSHELL:
A good book with an interesting concept. A lot of good lines. However, certain ticks of the author’s makes it a somewhat exhausting read.
Concept:
I felt this was the strongest point of this book. I’ve always been intrigued by sadists, criminals and psychopaths. And ‘American Psycho’ examines the mind of one very deranged man trapped in a very materialistic and shallow world. However, unlike most novels, the approach is not an emphatic one. We don’t get childhood flashes into Patrick’s past, nor actually find out what triggers his actions apart from a sense of emptiness and lack of feeling.
You don’t really feel that Patrick is human, and yet - at the same time - he seems to be the most human character in the entire novel. Because, underneath his obsession for clothes and fitting in, is one very confused individual who is searching for *something*.
And the way his society doesn’t realise how crazy Patrick really is showcases how self-absorbed everyone really is. Book reviews state ‘American Psycho’ is a reflection on the 80s and so forth, but I can see parallels to today’s society too. Especially when it comes to obsession with working out, remaining young and fashion brands.
A terrifying novel because, despite its surrealism (you don’t get away with the sort of things Patrick does), it does hit home in one very striking way: appearances are deceiving, and just because someone fits into a certain role perfectly doesn’t mean he really is that way.
Writing
I’m really on the fence regarding this here. Scenery and introspection were usually spotlessly handled and beautifully written (a lot of interesting imagery!). Sex scenes were, even if they might strike a lot of you as being crude and vulgar, well handled too. The same goes for the gore.
BUT the author’s insistence on having the narrator list, numerous times, what someone is wearing in exhaustive detail, having entire chapters devoted to furniture and albums is very irritating. I get why the author did it, I can see the reasoning behind the repetition, but it doesn’t change the fact that it makes the book difficult to read. Often, I found myself wanting to stop reading, and slam the book against a wall. Mind you, I’m someone who has read her way through the likes of Faulkner, Hemingway, Dickens and Steinbeck. But the prose in this book was really something /special/. In my opinion, the author could have profited from having an editor.
So, if you’re looking for a ‘light’ read, this book really isn’t anything for you. I’m not saying the writing is bad; it’s a rough gem - worth the trouble, but difficult to get through.
Characterisation
Apart from Patrick, the other characters are really bland, and Patrick himself doesn’t really strike you as a character until the last hundred pages of the book.
Plot: Well, this book is open-ended. Very much so. If you’re looking for a story with a solid outcome, or - mind you - want something that leaves you behind with a catharsis, this really isn’t what you should be reading. If anything, I’d call this book nihilistic - at the end, you really feel nothing (just like Patrick, you feel nothing because the world is nothing and nothing changes --). It’s a thought-provoking read though.
IN A NUTSHELL:
A good book with an interesting concept. A lot of good lines. However, certain ticks of the author’s makes it a somewhat exhausting read.