I tried reading this years ago, when I lived in Seattle I think. It absolutely didn’t click. A few years later, when I lived in New York and saw the atmosphere every day, I gave it another try, and it totally made sense. Ellis isn’t writing this overblown, adjective-filled description of a completely despisable yuppie because he wants you to love him; he’s writing to show you that he’s a dick. And that type-A personality disorder is what makes him a killer.

I also read this back-to-back with Fight Club, and the similarities between the two were a total mindfuck.