He can tell them straight out “I killed three people last night” and no reaction. His craziness becomes less concealed and less concealed, and people are still oblivious to it. The book, to me, is not so much about him being totally out of his head as it is about the blind eye everyone around him turns to it. Though, personally, I think it was a little bit of both. I know there is a great debate about whether all of this really happened, or just happened in his head. I would say that he is a psychopath who has episodes of psychosis. However, when he is running through the streets eating ham out of a can while hallucinating, or believing that he is having a telepathic exchange with Bono, that lends to psychosis. The intense narcissism and unfazed ability to hack people up obviously lends to being a psychopath. The artificial, almost rehearsed way he recites things off his head as if he memorized an album or restaurant review verbatim lends to psychopathy. His disregard for human life (though he does fake it with the occasional compassionate speech when in the presence of others, despite the vitriolic disdain he actually feels for homeless people/minorities/women/you name it in private) lends itself to psychopathy. However, Patrick embodies a good bit of both. I’m still not sure if the “psycho” in the title stands for a psychopath or psychotic, two totally different diagnoses. The tendencies heighten and the grasp unravels as the book progresses. Patrick has homicidal tendencies and a loose grasp on reality when the book starts. He is trying to keep up with the Joneses. He only dines at the 5-star restaurants that he does because of the magazines he reads and the people he admires.
He spends an inordinate amount of time on primping and prides himself on his ability to recognize every name brand piece of clothing he sees on someone. The main character, Patrick, is a narcissist, as are all his friends, colleagues, and paramours. This book is a look at society in its most self-centered state. I do not want anyone to dive in without being prepared for that.
Life has a funny way of reflecting art, and satire ages like fine wine.īefore I go any further, I feel I should run a disclaimer. It is one of those novels that feels decidedly more eerie in the present than it ever could have in its prime. If you read American Psycho in the 90s or 2000s, I recommend you re-read it as well. A few years ago, people were saying to go back and re-read 1984.
The irony is on a level that I have never experienced before and am doubtful that I will experience it again. And I mean “too much” in every sense of the phrase. If you do not have an HCPL library card, OverDrive offers a free digital access card using your mobile number. American Psycho is available to download as an eBook from OverDrive. Chelsea Arnold, circulation associate at the Palmyra branch, submitted for your consideration the following review of American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
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