One of the few where one may, and perhaps SHOULD(!) watch the movie adaptation first.
It is narrated by the charismatic Paul Allen.. Or perhaps by Patrick Bateman. It matters not. Therein lies one of the many ironies present in American Psycho, a critique on New York’s yuppie culture of yore.
Throughout the piece, the reader is persistently reminded that no character knows who they are truly talking to, save for those in their closest inner circles, and, at one point, Bateman, too, hesitates — he expresses doubt over the identity of a man — further eroding the notion that the narrator is omniscient, all the while cementing that he is one of many, and prone to making the same gaffes.
Which perspective is right? Who should you believe in?
One can never know. The narrator is just as stuck in his own little world as all the others, and that is all that matters. Reality only exists before our very eyes.
According to Bret Easton Ellis, the yuppie follows a linear path in life: they are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, attend superlative private schools, go on to attend Ivy League universities, before being given a position as a high ranking member of a financial institution. The path is the same for everyone, ergo the end result will be nigh identical.
The author then goes on to accentuate the ire felt by those who fruitlessly seek to distinguish themselves from their peers, as they had for most of their lives, but because the trajectory followed was the same, they find themselves in a scenario where similarities overpower the differences to the point where names are inconsequential. A name is given, and later on defined by the individual. In American Psycho the set of qualities that define Patrick Bateman is no different than that of, say, McDermott, or any of the other supporting characters. The VP’s at Pierce & Pierce all have the same mentality, shallow aspirations, and morality (or lack thereof). In the same vein, it can be said the story would not change were one to replace the main character for any of the cast — the names are wholly interchangeable. Any extra characterization given to a character can essentially be mirrored by the others, and, oftentimes, it is, later on.
The literary work distinguishes itself because of this. The idea that the story can be told from the perspective of any of the other characters while mostly remaining the same is, to my infinitesimal knowledge, unique to American Psycho, and a unique one at that. Aside from that, it touches upon closet homosexuality, man’s primal nature and subsequent latent desire to kill, and so on. The most important being city-living induced neuroticism, which powers and amplifies everything else.
When it comes to the prose, it is swift, violent, descriptive, and visual. At the risk of sounding mentally deranged, Bateman’s bouts of senseless fury is hilarious time and again. The reader is spared nothing, as the writer does not hold back and does not hesitate to resort to politically incorrect language so as to further flesh out his characters, while allowing Bateman to express his contempt to the best of his ability. Sensitive snowflakes beware!
