American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
American Psycho is one of those references I come across all the time that I’m not familiar with. The only thing I vaguely knew about was the business card scene.
1) “‘This was when he ordered the tuna cappuccino and I’m sure if left unattended would have ordered the salmon au lait.'” – Timothy
I haven’t acquired the taste for carpaccio so I’d go with cappuccino as well.
2) “‘Okay, so when wearing a tuxedo how do you keep the front of your shirt from riding up?’” – Preston
When was the last time I wore a tux? When is the next time I will wear one?
3) “I pick up Montgomery’s card and actually finger it, for the sensation the card gives off to the pads of my fingers.”
The credit card scene is way less funny and absurd in the book.
4) “He sticks his own platinum American Express card into the powder, bringing it up to his nose to inhale it.”
I’m guessing not everyone had a platinum AMEX back in the 1980s.
5) “On my way into the Chinese cleaners I brush past a crying bum, an old man, forty or fifty, fat and grizzled, and just as I’m opening the door I notice, to top it off, that he’s also blind and I step on his foot, which is actually a stump, causing him to drop his cup, scattering change all over the sidewalk.”
Some passages in this book are tough to stomach.
6) “‘Is that Donald Trump’s car?'” – Patrick
I was shocked at how often Trump comes up. I feel like older people have a completely different view of Trump and Clinton because they grew up with them. In 20 years, Zuckerberg will run for office, and I’ll be the boomer.
7) “Paul Owen has called me Marcus four times and Evelyn, much to my relief, Cecilia twice.”
All Wall Street bankers are interchangeable.
8) “‘I’m into, oh, murders and executions mostly. It depends.'” – Patrick; “‘Well, most guys I know who work in mergers and acquisitions don’t really like it.'” – Daisy
I haven’t heard this brilliant pun before.
9) “I stole a urinal cake from the men’s room when the attendant wasn’t looking. At home I covered it with a cheap chocolate syrup, froze it, then placed it in an empty Godiva box, tying a silk bow around it.”
I found myself questioning the author several times. How does he come up with this?
10) “‘I’ll have a decapitated coffee also…. I mean … decaffeinated.'” – Patrick
Psycho.
This book was rough. I slogged through the excruciating descriptions of outfits and the in-depth reviews of music albums. And then there was the sheer level of gore and violence. I was shocked that it has leaped into pop culture. I haven’t watched the movie, but I checked out some Youtube clips after finishing the book. It looks like the movie is a lot less repulsive and is more of a comedy. The book was satirically funny at times, but mostly it was just horrifying.