American Psycho

Murder, torture, cannibalism, yuppies. The book depicts such horrors that Simon and Schuster refused to publish it AFTER paying Bret Easton Ellis's $30,000 advance. The main character, Patrick Bateman, savagely rapes, kills, and dismembers friends and strangers alike.

But for me, the most terrifying moment in the novel is Bateman's review of Huey Lewis and the News.

For proof that Patrick Bateman is deeply disturbed, we need look no further than the fact that he prefers Huey Lewis to Elvis Costello and that he can write, apparently without irony: "Lewis is a vocalist, musician, and writer who just can't be stopped."

Yikes!!! I didn't sleep for a week.

Second and third scariest moments: the business cards and the Genesis review.

Addendum:
I've discovered the most delightful thing: amazon.com's text stats. They have a feature that lists the hundred most frequently used words in a book, with font size varying according to frequency of iteration. It makes for a wonderful combo of literary criticism and aleatory poetry.

Here it is for American Psycho:

again another anything asks away bar bateman black bret call christie come courtney dinner down drink ellis evelyn even eyes face fucking get girl glass go god going good guy hand head jean know last let listen long looking looks luis maybe mcdermott mean mouth move myself new next night now oh okay open owen patrick patten paul pause place price really right room say see seems should shouts sigh silk sits smiles someone something sounds staring start still stop suit sure table take tell thing think though tie time toward trying turn two van walk want wearing wool yes

I here propose my own aleatory hyperlinked exegetical haiku (hoku?) (I think this will be the Next Big Thing in literary genres) on American Psycho.

eyes open,
staring.

fucking.

wearing wool, yes.
someone say something.

sigh.

Ok—I’ve got to go return some videotapes.