communication breakdown

Book Review: American Psycho (1991)

[ 8 / 10 ] American Psycho practically knocked me off my feet. It is a novel of unbridled power, absolutely refusing to pull any punches in its portrayal of a truly frightening man in an equally disturbing society. Bret Easton Ellis' tale centers around the rich and stylish Patrick Bateman, a young Manhattanite living in the lap of luxury. He eats at ultra-expensive restaurants, sleeps with gorgeous women, and obsesses over material things. And, in his spare time, he kills people and disposes of their bodies in gruesome ways. He never gets caught, and even worse, nobody even seems to care...

For all of its gore, the novel is primarily a blisteringly satirical look at a material society in which individuals care only for themselves. Take a look at Batemen's daily, public life: he continually interacts with friends (and I use that term very loosely) who are preoccupied with image and status. The novel is narrated purely from Bateman's point-of-view, and when he describes people he meets, he does not tell us about their physical features or his emotional reactions to them: he describes their wardrobe, in excruciating detail, making sure to point out the particularly sharp and tacky. The dialogue is completely vacuous: debates about the finer points of various brands of bottled water, discussions about how to properly wear and coordinate cummerbunds and suspenders, and arguments over what high-profile dinner reservations they can secure. Nobody remembers anyone else, and characters continually refer to one another using the wrong name. In their world, it is more important to look good than to actually care about someone else.

With this world of false image as the backdrop, Bateman amuses himself by doing the one thing that seems to bring him real pleasure: killing and torturing others. He is certainly not a respecter of persons; throughout the course of the novel, we see him commit heinous acts of violence against friends, co-workers, bums, prostitutes, animals, and random people. His acts escalate as the book progresses, beginning with simple murder, and eventually becoming so graphic and unfathomable that it is hard to stomach. It seems that Bateman's destructive acts continue to further desensitize him, forcing him to try new things just to derive any sort of satisfaction from the deeds. Predictibly, with each victim he becomes further detached from reality, and begins to lose grip on his finely balanced life, to the point where, at the end of the novel, nothing can satiate him.

Yet the real shock of the novel, and the source of its genius, is the fact that Bateman never seems to suffer consequences from his actions. And this is where the satire takes full effect: for all of society's emptiness and obsession with image, the fact that Bateman can kill a young child on the sidewalk in broad daylight, and get away with it, is the most frightening thing imaginable. It is a scathing attack on a society so isolated from the real world that it does not value life, even that of a child or the helpless. In several ironic (and darkly humorous) scenes, Bateman even tries to give himself up: he confides his secrets to his friends, he attends a Halloween party as a serial killer (drenched in real blood and gore), and leaves body parts around his own apartment for his maids to find - and no one seems to mind.

As if all of this weren't enough, there is another interesting possibility to consider: could Bateman be imagining all of this? Maybe all of his sickening deeds are part of a sadistic fantasy world, created as a mental escape from the numbing void through which he sleepwalks each day? There is some evidence to support this, but certainly not enough to prove or disprove it. It is up to the reader to decide - but either way, it does not lessen the criticism heaped upon this 1980's New York society.

For the careful reader, be warned that the novel is full of unrelenting imagery and description, including graphic details of murder and torture, as well as love scenes that are essentially graphic pornography. If you have a strong stomach and can endure the harrowing passages, American Psycho is definitely worth a read. It is as satirically funny as it is horrific, and it will certainly make you think twice the next time you vainly check your hair in the mirror or consider buying that designer suit...