This post was written by Hatchet columnist Matthew Heiden.

“American Psycho” by Bret Easton Ellis

Twenty-seven-year-old Patrick Bateman seems to have it all: a beautiful upper west side apartment, a high-earning job with the prominent Wall Street firm, Pierce & Pierce, and a gorgeous girl friend. He spends his time going out to hip, expensive restaurants with his friends, working out at exclusive health clubs and shopping for the latest clothing and amenities.

On the surface, Pat Bateman has the perfect life- he is living the American dream.

But beneath his glossy exterior lies the awful truth : Bateman is a serial killer, who stalks the streets and nightclubs of New York looking to find people to torture and kill. However, despite his increasing lack of control over his bloodlust, he seems unable to be caught- people simply refuse to believe that such a superficial, luxury-obsessed yuppie could be capable of all the terrible things Bateman does.

The book is famously controversial for its graphic content, and some passages are almost unreadable. But it is redeemed by author Ellis’ cutting sense of humor and its brutal commentary on 1980s yuppie culture. Its critique of materialism is showcased by its central character, who has everything he could possibly want and is left devoid of all human emotions but rage and greed.