American Psycho

This past week a co-worker and I were talking about books and movies that have really “creeped us out”.  Well, of course when this co-worker told me one of those books for her was American Pshyco, I knew I just had to read it!  Even though she warned me not to, I had no choice, I just had to do it!  Just like when everyone told me that I should never watch Boys Don’t Cry and I did and I don’t think I’ve ever fully recovered from that one!

So far I have listened to cd’s 1-7 of 14, and I can definitely understand why my friend gave me the warning.  Although for the first couple of cd’s I was a little bored.   There was a lot of description and not very much action, but now as I continue to listen things are really heating up.  The book takes place in the height of the 80’s, when the economy was booming and the cocaine never ran out.   The main character Patrick Bateman works at a top Wall Street investment firm and appears to be at the top of his game.  I can’t say for sure but I think he is also a psychopath serial killer by night! 

The flow of the book has been difficult to follow as the prose is very choppy and has an almost manic pace.  The narrator Pablo Schreiber is doing a fine job, but it is still difficult to keep all of the characters organized in your mind as you listen.  So, I sort of “cheated” and looked the title up on Wikipedia, where it actually lists the characters and their roles in the book. 

So, I guess the jury is still out on this book, but one thing is for sure it is not for the faint of heart!  Never fear though, I will soldier on and let you know how I feel at the end!

~AEN