American PsychoAmerican Psycho
Score Modern
What it's about
Patrick Bateman is twenty-six, handsome and rich, a Wall Street banker in late-1980s Manhattan obsessed with designer clothes, restaurants, business cards and music. He's also a serial killer. He describes his days, his status anxieties and his murders in the same flat, brand-obsessed voice.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is a notorious satire of 1980s greed. The 2000 film with Christian Bale is a cult classic.
You'll love it if you liked
Money
A Clockwork Orange
Gone GirlGood to know
It contains some of the most graphic sexual violence and torture in mainstream fiction. Many readers can't finish it.
By the numbers
- Readers10 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller50 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #77 of the 86 horror books we rank
- #1404 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2561 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Dark
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Quick answers
Is American Psycho worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is a notorious satire of 1980s greed. It ranks #2,561 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 57.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is American Psycho about?
Patrick Bateman is twenty-six, handsome and rich, a Wall Street banker in late-1980s Manhattan obsessed with designer clothes, restaurants, business cards and music. He's also a serial killer. He describes his days, his status anxieties and his murders in the same flat, brand-obsessed voice.
How long does it take to read American Psycho?
About 10 hours (399 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after American Psycho?
If you liked it, try Money by Martin Amis, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess or Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.