Umm...whoa. Psycho is a very apt term for this book. Patrick Bateman is a complete lunatic. Reading a book with the title American Psycho, you expect a bit of craziness, but this was just a full on assault. I was shaken by many of the events. My stomach turned frequently as I read and it was a challenge to finish. While I respect the fact that from a literary standpoint this book really has some great qualities, it was extremely difficult to read. As it is written from the first person point of view, it is very sporadic and jumbled and sometimes hard to follow. The descriptions can be very in your face crude and pornographic. It was a lot to handle. If you're looking at the book from a critical standpoint rather than a subjective and emotional standpoint, there is a lot this book has to offer. There is some amazing submersion into the character of Pat Bateman. He really feels real and you can follow his complete descent into madness. It's an overwhelming journey, but very well written when you consider what had to be undertaken to make this character come to life so fully. It was...an experience. I won't be reading it again, but I do think it has some merit. I don't feel my time was completely wasted.