American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

Just finished it the other day, then re-watched the film. I was surprised to notice that the screenplay was written by two women and the director was also a woman. The book is incredibly darker - much more horrid and sinister than the film, the latter which merely skims the surface of a story and character that is so complex and chilling. What I enjoyed most about the book, er, appreciated, er, not sure what word to use - well, of the writer's strategy, was the slow build regarding the character's psychotic tendencies, how well these were blended in with a constant barrage of brand names, designer label references, and the insidiously vapid conversations of the rich and bored New York elite. I'd seen the film years ago and was struck by Bale's incredible performance, so I had him in mind as I read, (which wasn't particularly difficult as most of the dialogue in the film was verbatim from the book) and then re-watching the film gave me an even deeper appreciation of Bale's range and abilities. But the reason I wanted to read the book is that there was a question that my first viewing of the film had left unanswered - and it still is...