Richard's Book Club #12
-"American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis (December 1st thru December 6th)
http://www.amazon.com/American-Psycho-Bret-Easton-Ellis/dp/0679735771/sr=8-2/qid=1165467118/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-6589595-9232162?ie=UTF8&s=books
My two-and-a-half-cents:
After 70 pages of "Dracula", I had to put down the book and read something different for a while. Whoever said that it was on a 7th grade reading level is either a fuckin' liar or I'm mildly retarded. I haven't figured out which one yet.
So the book that falls into my hands is "American Psycho." I really liked the movie and heard that the book the film's based on is highly controversial and grotesque. Obviously this peaked my interest enough to buy it.
Well... lemme tell you... it's as bad as anything I've ever experienced in my life. I had to constantly put down the book and regroup mentally before going on. Oddly enough, I couldn't put the thing down. It's extremely well-written, and this only highlights how truly evil Patrick Bateman, the main character and speaker, is. The things he does ranges from cannibalism to rape, from torturing small animals to sticking rodents (among other things) into female genitals. And then there's the countless murders (mostly prostitutes/females, occasionally homeless people, a cop, and a kid at the zoo come to mind immediately). And some of the sex scenes described in the book are quite detailed and provocative.
Aside from the shock value, the book really takes a biting look at the Yuppies of the 80's. It shows how superficial everyone is and how meaningless their wealthy lives are. Patrick makes blatant remarks of his horrible acts and they are either completely ignored or laughed away. Nothing seems real. And then there's the whole theme of "looks can be deceiving" running throughout. The thing that breaks your heart, or atleast broke mine, is Jean (Patrick's secretary), who is the only light of hope and redemption for Patrick. She loves a monster and doesn't even know it. It makes him feel weird because someone finally cares about him; cares to know who he really is. And after listening to endless conversations about what people are wearing and what they own, none of it seems forced. Unfortunately, Patrick is beyond any kind of redemption, and by the end of the novel you realize that, with the exception of Jean, everything is back to the way they were.
If you're remotely interested in being disgusted by unspeakable horrors while at the same time being morbidly fascinated by it, this is the book for you.
Killer Quote: (Patrick thinking to himself at dinner) "...there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kid of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there."
Next: "Dracula" by Brom Stoker (cont.)
http://www.amazon.com/American-Psycho-Bret-Easton-Ellis/dp/0679735771/sr=8-2/qid=1165467118/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-6589595-9232162?ie=UTF8&s=books
My two-and-a-half-cents:
After 70 pages of "Dracula", I had to put down the book and read something different for a while. Whoever said that it was on a 7th grade reading level is either a fuckin' liar or I'm mildly retarded. I haven't figured out which one yet.
So the book that falls into my hands is "American Psycho." I really liked the movie and heard that the book the film's based on is highly controversial and grotesque. Obviously this peaked my interest enough to buy it.
Well... lemme tell you... it's as bad as anything I've ever experienced in my life. I had to constantly put down the book and regroup mentally before going on. Oddly enough, I couldn't put the thing down. It's extremely well-written, and this only highlights how truly evil Patrick Bateman, the main character and speaker, is. The things he does ranges from cannibalism to rape, from torturing small animals to sticking rodents (among other things) into female genitals. And then there's the countless murders (mostly prostitutes/females, occasionally homeless people, a cop, and a kid at the zoo come to mind immediately). And some of the sex scenes described in the book are quite detailed and provocative.
Aside from the shock value, the book really takes a biting look at the Yuppies of the 80's. It shows how superficial everyone is and how meaningless their wealthy lives are. Patrick makes blatant remarks of his horrible acts and they are either completely ignored or laughed away. Nothing seems real. And then there's the whole theme of "looks can be deceiving" running throughout. The thing that breaks your heart, or atleast broke mine, is Jean (Patrick's secretary), who is the only light of hope and redemption for Patrick. She loves a monster and doesn't even know it. It makes him feel weird because someone finally cares about him; cares to know who he really is. And after listening to endless conversations about what people are wearing and what they own, none of it seems forced. Unfortunately, Patrick is beyond any kind of redemption, and by the end of the novel you realize that, with the exception of Jean, everything is back to the way they were.
If you're remotely interested in being disgusted by unspeakable horrors while at the same time being morbidly fascinated by it, this is the book for you.
Killer Quote: (Patrick thinking to himself at dinner) "...there is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kid of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there."
Next: "Dracula" by Brom Stoker (cont.)