Thanks so much! Yeah, the rat scene was definitely the toughest part for me to read. I'm pretty sure I felt physically sick during it. I really appreciate your comment so thank you :) Also, I read In Cold Blood too and I loved that one. It's so sad that it is a true story. Very disturbing.

F Hurley wow thank you so much for your comment! You said several things that I never realized. I was always stumped by the music chapters. It never occurred to me that they were foreshadowing. I never even noticed that the beginning and end were the same. It all really does come full circle. And you’re right. The more he kills and the more brutal he gets, he is less and less satisfied. I really appreciate your comment because I NEVER thought of these things before, so thanks ☺️

Reading with Kayla I’ve read the book about 50 times. Actually just finished it again tonight. Bateman in my mind isn’t actually one person. He’s a collective. We never get a physical description on him despite his vanity. This could be due to the fact he had disassociated from himself and the clothes and restaurants are more interesting or that he’s a bit of everyone in his circle. His initials are PB (personal best) I think that Bateman represents the void in all of these characters we encounter...That’s one of my theories anyway. In regards to the murders, I’m with you. I think if Bateman is in fact a character and not a representation of capitalism that he did kill people. Mistaken identity, as you pointed out is a major theme in this novel, his own lawyer thought he was Davies at one point then two sentences later he was someone else. No one is a reliable narrator in this book due to their own narcissistic tendencies. After killing some of the girls he says that he paints a ‘picture and it looks like this’ the next chapter, immediately after this sentence is lunch with Bethenny I think. That’s a massive tell that he didn’t kill Bethenny. It’s something he fantasised about because the rejection was so crushing.

Reading with Kayla It also starts with April Fools, is all what we read next just a big joke? ‘Abandon all hope ye who enters here’ The rest of what we are witness to is basically hell, but like hell we will never be sure of its reality unless we discover ourselves in the situation of dying in sin or meeting Bateman. The book has so many overtones to it. It’s the ultimate whodunnit and social commentary. I’ve heard so many people moan about the tedious nature of the book and then misinterpret the monotony as a juxtaposition to the gore, to make it more impactful. No, like you said it’s basically all patrick is. It’s the OCD, it’s the hollowness of character and I think most people miss this and I’ve even heard people say that it should be ‘condensed’ no, it needs to be a long drawn out affair to really show you how Bateman feels. His life isn’t the yuppie paradise people envisage. It’s a gruelling, nightmarish, unreliable hell. It needs to end with ‘this is not an exit’ to really prove that this will continue and like a ghost, we’ve entered and now exited Bateman’s life. It’s like we were his imaginary friend

F Hurley wow yes, I couldn’t have said it better myself. I had a feeling that rereading it would be so beneficial. I have to do that now. All of your theories are so fascinating! It makes me want to look at the book in a whole new angle. I mean, there is so much that I missed. I can totally see how Bateman could be a collective of people. He represents so much more. It makes me believe both theories. That he was a real killer but that he also stood for all that was wrong with those kinds of people during that period in time. I have a lot to think about. And I completely agree about how necessary it is that the book is as long as it is. When I was reading it, I always got the feeling that every single sentence was vital and meant something. It has to be that way. I loved it a lot.

Awww thank you so much!!

Riley Brown thanks so much! Oooooh yes I will definitely read that one. The movie was awesome and I didn’t even know it was a book! Thanks for the suggestion and the comment ☺️

Allie Diallo thanks so much!

Oooooh ok I will! Thanks!!

@@readingwithkayla941 A point about Naked Lunch: don't try to re-read the sections for more than a paragraph or two; the book is very non-linear series of loosely-related vignettes. Don't look for a plot. It has to be thought as a bizarre steam of consciousness emitting from a drug-induced mad man's mind. LOL.

@@TheSteinmetzen oh ok, that’s interesting. I’m curious what it would be like to be in the mind of someone on drugs. I’m definitely going to give this one a read soon.