rckwld t1_istm2mw wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:42 PM

It’s satire, but yes it’s brutal.

thanx_it_has_pockets t1_istmhhy wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:45 PM

I know exactly what Ellis was going for and I understand why it is considered brilliant in some circles.

For myself - I absolutely hated the book because it took a long time to erase some of the images/words that were seared into my brain.

Llamapickle129 t1_istkx7j wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:35 PM

I never heard of the book befor, now im curious if its true or people are just being dramatic

WankBanke OP t1_istlb5t wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:37 PM

Same here. Really curious. I heard it progressively gets more deranged.

I am on the first chapter right now and it's honestly kinda hard to read. So far the first chapter seems...clustered.

Don't know how to explain it but just the way it is written, it's hard for me to keep track of what the hell is going on...but makes sense considering it's meant to be from the POV of a psychopath

macroscian t1_istlcth wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:37 PM

I was rather much younger whe I read it (never re-read the novel) but yes, brutally disturbing in parts.

AbbotThoth t1_istlt93 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:40 PM

Yeah it is fucked up to the point that I stopped reading it. TW: Animal cruelty >! He breaks the legs of a homeless man's dog and then stomps it to death as well as strangling another dog before gutting leaving it to crawl around in agony !< The description of which caused me to feel physically ill.

WankBanke OP t1_istm2z9 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:42 PM

Jesus fucking christ that's.....vile....as someone who has mental health issues. Such detailed descriptions will probably not be good for my mental health at all

AbbotThoth t1_istm8y9 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:43 PM

Yeah, sorry friend I accidentally did the wrong order on blacking the text the first time.

WankBanke OP t1_istme4n wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:44 PM

No worries man. Atleast now I know what i'm getting into when I read the book.

Will surely need to put it down a couple of times i'm sure

frozenfountain t1_istmhm4 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:45 PM

"Traumatic" is an extremely strong word for any work of fiction. Yes, there's some scenes that involve remarkably inventive acts of brutality described in lascivious detail, and there's parts I had to skim even though I have a pretty strong stomach for gore. There's images and imagined pain that'll haunt you for a while, but I don't think anything in those pages will make anyone develop a psychiatric illness unless something was already going wrong.

That said, the book is one of my favourites and I do recommend forging ahead with it if you're not squeamish. It's really funny and insightful (accidentally, perhaps, by the sound of things) about consumerism and wealth and filling the void.

WankBanke OP t1_istmz2q wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:48 PM

I have psychotic issues, already havd a fragile mind and have to take meds for it.

Do you think such a book can trigger something in someone who is prone to psychosis?

frozenfountain t1_istnocs wrote on October 18, 2022 at 4:52 PM

I wouldn't be comfortable giving you a yes or no answer, since I have no personal experience with psychosis and only a fairly surface level understanding of it. But if you're prone to being deeply upset by disturbing scenes in fiction and having things play on your mind to a debilitating degree, it might be a good idea to skip this one, or at least put it down when things start getting heavy. I really hope the treatment is going well and you're in a good place these days.

Euphoric-Base-2589 t1_istq83h wrote on October 18, 2022 at 5:09 PM

It is a really brutal and violent book but since no one else has mentioned this I will say it is also very racist and misogynistic. He calls a cab driver a slur in the first few pages and it was really shocking to me (I’m not sure why, considering the time and the characters lol) but also be aware of that as well

WankBanke OP t1_istqwd3 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 5:14 PM

Yeah...my jaw dropped when I saw 2 Slurs in the same page, in the cab

I hope the whole book isn't like that

CrazyCatLady108 t1_istqf8e wrote on October 18, 2022 at 5:10 PM

Hi there. Per rule 3.3, please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!

WankBanke OP t1_istqnt0 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 5:12 PM

This isn't a reccomendation post though?

CrazyCatLady108 t1_istrfyi wrote on October 18, 2022 at 5:17 PM

You are asking people if they recommend that you do or do not read it.

Is American Psycho really that brutal?

Comments