This Is Not An Exit
How the cult classic American Psycho is more prevalent today than ever before.
“This is not an exit.”
The final words of the cult classic book: American Psycho by author Bret Easton Ellis. Those words hit my skull and when I finished the novel, I placed the book down on the table in front of me, sipped my coffee and then pondered at what I just read and the first thought that came to mind was: “What a soulless book”. I didn’t know how to feel about the book at all in that moment. Those post-book blues you get when you’ve spent time and energy reading this novel and now it was finished. Done. Another one to add to the shelf. What was I to do after reading a book like American Psycho. Was I meant to feel something?
Then it came to me: Nothing. I did nothing and felt nothing either.
Small recap for anyone who hasn’t read the book or has never heard of it (shocking if you haven’t by this stage). First printed in the year 1991, American Psycho was written by Bret Easton Ellis about Yuppie culture that was very prevalent in the mid 1980’s in America (still is but it’s called social media now). Consumerism, fashion, fast lifestyles, fast drugs, swallow self absorbed people and sex were the main goals of the day. It was the “YOLO” movement of that generation and The main protagonist is Patrick Bateman, a young man in his early 20’s living and working in New York city. He work in Pierce & Pierce as it’s vice president and is consumed with being competitive with his colleagues, as he tries to be better at them every step of the way. He is an highly Intelligent man that people look up to and ask for advice from mergers to what’s the best tie to wear at a dinner. The catch is: Patrick moonlights as this investment banker high end roller and is a very well liked one at that. It just so happens to be that Patrick in his spare time is.. well.. A serial killer and a prolific one.
That’s the synopsis and I hope I did it well. Now moving on.
Reading this book on my lunchtime for the past few weeks, I wondered if any my colleagues just glanced over at me for a second and seen my facial expressions during a particular passage I was reading and thought: “His face is making the expression again, must be bad”.
It is hard to go back to work and concentrate on your tasks when you just read the infamous “Axe Scene” while eating lunch and enjoying a well deserved coffee. How could I do anything work related when I just read Patrick describe in great graphic detail, how he murdered Paul Owens with a shiny new axe and do it like it was nothing. Graphic scenes, passages or videos don’t get to me, I know my tolerance. It takes a lot for me to react to something and for it to bother me. This book however just made me feel uneasy at times while reading it. And the question kept coming to my head: why?
