With hindsight, it seems inevitable. Bret Eason Ellis’ brilliant 1991 novel is just (I would venture) too horrible for many readers to take at face value. So, let us create a version that we can laugh at, thereby warding off the terror.
Well, let them laugh. I feel that American Psycho (the book) uses its horrible violence to such good effect, that including the violence is entirely justified. And after all, if merely reading about inflicting extreme pain is so terrible, just think about how terrible real pain can be.
I have never written a full-blown review of American Psycho. I hope to do so someday. In the meantime, I’ll just say that for its viciously innovative laying bare of our violent, capitalist, American society … it stands for me as a strong candiate for (yes!) the Great American Novel.
lessthanamegabyte 