American Psycho

I grew up near Readings Bookshop in Hawthorn. Receiving a Readings voucher was by far my favourite gift to receive. I would wander the shop, reading blurbs, and take forever to make a decision about how to spend my cherished book money. I have many wonderful memories of Readings, but by far the most vivid is from 1991, when I went in to purchase American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

American Psycho is the third book written by Bret Easton Ellis. I had read his two previous books, Less Than Zero and Rules of Attraction in the 80s, and I loved his style. His first book was published by Simon and Schuster when he was 21 and still in college. He was modern and young and relevant.

There was a lot of controversy around American Psycho before it released. Firstly, Simon and Schuster had dropped it, citing aesthetic differences. Roger Rosenblatt congratulated them on this decision in a New York Times piece called Snuff This Book! Will Bret Easton Ellis Get Away With Murder?

When it was released, Bret Easton Ellis received death threats and hate mail. It was censored in multiple countries, including Australia, upon release, due to graphic violence. The book is listed as the 53rd most banned or challenged book of 1990-1999, by the American Library Association. However, at the time and currently, many critics and academics rave about the book, claiming it to be transgressive and a postmodern classic.

The main character in the book, Patrick Bateman, is a narcissistic, vain, and very wealthy merchant banker who lives and works in Manhattan. He is obsessed with designer labels, expensive champagne, and embossed business cards. The popularity of the book increased substantially after Christian Bale played Partick Bateman in the film adaptation.

When I walked into Readings in 1991, I had to ask for the book at the counter. I knew it was not allowed to be displayed on the shelves. It was shrink-wrapped and had a large sticker on it saying Restricted R18+. I had to show my photo identification before they would sell it to me. It felt like an act of subversion. It was delicious. And when I got home, I delighted in removing the book from it’s plastic confines with glee.

Theoretically, this ishould still be the case, and in Queensland, it should not be available at all. However, several librarian friends have told me it is available at their branches, although it is sometimes kept in the stacks, and people have to ask for it specifically. Bret Easton Ellis is quoted as saying, when told about the Australian censorship legislation, ‘I think it’s adorable. I think it’s cute. I love it.’

As a matter of interest and in the name of experimentation, I went into Dymocks in Collins Street, Melbourne, last week to ask about the book. I have seen it in display cabinets, and behind the desk in some shops. But, the delightful girl on the help desk took me to the shelves and showed me where it was displayed. It was sitting in the regular fiction section, albeit wrapped in shrink-wrap and with the restricted sticker on the front. She did say they do not ‘card’ people, or ask for ID as they don’t believe in censorship. I agreed and walked away, deep in thought about Banned Book Week.

When I thought hard about American Psycho and how much it had impacted me, as a 21 year-old reader, my feelings about its censorship status became more nuanced. Would I want my 18 year-old reading it? Initially my gut reaction was no. But, in reality, it would be her choice, and I would tell her of my own experience. It would then be up to her to decide. The same way it is up to every adult to decide, after reading the warning. Content warnings, in my opinion, are preferable to banning or making books unavailable.

I certainly do not condone the violence in the book. The first time I read it I had to put it down several times and walk away, as the violence was making me nauseous. I do defend the freedom of expression, however, and applaud the right for authors to write what they want.

Just for fun I am going to add here that I like Bret Easton Ellis’s style so much, and read the books he wrote after this one, too. His writing captures the soul of the 80s and 90s unlike any other writer I have read. He finishes some books mid-sentence, he numbers his pages in strange ways, and he is interesting and quirky and daring. I have spent a lot of time thinking about how someone can come up with such depraved thoughts. When I was 25 years-old, I wanted a cat. My ex-husband said no, so I bought a 10 foot-long leopard skin chaise lounge, and called it Bret, in homage.