Chapter summaries

Chapter 1 – April Fools

The novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis begins with Patrick Bateman taking a taxi with his friend Timothy Price through New York City. Price rants about the filth, disease, and chaos of the city, using a newspaper to point out various distressing stories. Price also points out the homeless people he sees, keeping a tally and complaining about them. When they get out of the taxi, they mock a homeless person who is begging for money, keeping the taxi door open for him, and asking if he takes payments by credit card. 

The two men enter the apartment of Evelyn Richards, Patrick’s fiancée, who is hosting a dinner. A mutual friend, Courtney Lawrence, as well as some artists Evelyn invited, are also there. Evelyn obsesses over arranging the sushi for dinner, while Price sneers and complains about the people Evelyn invited. Evelyn and Price briefly disappear while everyone is eating, and Patrick suspects they are having an affair, but he is not concerned. The group makes small talk, and the disdain Price holds for the artists Evelyn invited is clear. At one point, the conversation touches on the war crimes taking place in Sri Lanka, and Patrick suddenly joins the conversation and begins a long rant about important domestic and foreign policy concerns for the United States. He mentions stopping terrorism and world hunger and various domestic issues, such as elderly care, AIDS, the environment, education, crime, and drugs. At the end of his rant, everyone looks awkward, and Evelyn offers dessert.

Eventually, everyone but Patrick, Evelyn, and Price leaves. Evelyn gets ready for bed while Price teases and flirts with her. Patrick simply observes as Price touches and licks Evelyn’s neck, and Evelyn pretends to fend off his advances. Eventually, Evelyn tells Price it’s time for him to leave, though she appears disappointed when Patrick leads him out. Patrick kisses Evelyn and tries to have sex with her but eventually gives up and returns to his apartment. 

Chapter 2 – Morning

On a May morning in Patrick’s apartment, he describes his usual routine in great detail. Patrick’s apartment is decorated with expensive furniture, art, and electronics. In the morning, Patrick dresses in a silk robe and begins his day with stretching exercises. He then goes through an elaborate grooming routine: polishing his teeth twice in addition to brushing, grooming his nails, doing a complex skincare and shaving regimen, and taking particular care of his hair. Everything is meant to prevent any signs of aging and to make him look faultless.

Patrick then eats a very specific breakfast, focusing on healthy and exotic foods. He gets dressed in designer clothes and sits down to watch The Patty Winters Show where the guests are discussing multiple personality disorder. 

Chapter 3 – Harry’s

One evening, Patrick and Price are meeting two of their friends, Craig McDermott and David Van Patten, for drinks at a bar. All the men are dressed in designer clothes and they discuss the rules of proper dressing, such as what kind of shoes are appropriate for which occasion. Patrick notices an acquaintance, Luis Carruthers across the bar. Carruthers is poorly dressed and struggles to get the bartender’s attention. He catches Patrick’s eye and seems to blush and look away.

The friends try to decide where to go for dinner while Van Patten tells a story about a sexual encounter he had with a woman he met at a club, who was not his girlfriend. The men also discuss AIDS and come to the conclusion that white men like them cannot get the disease. They spot a colleague named Paul Owen who got a profitable business deal and start making anti-Semitic remarks at his expense because of it, until Patrick tells them to stop. The men also make homophobic and racist jokes.

Chapter 4 – Pastels

The four men are having dinner at an exclusive restaurant called Pastels, where McDermott knows the maître d’ and managed to make a last-minute reservation. The men order fancy dishes and Price yells at the waiters to take away the complimentary cocktails they received. Patrick observes all the women in the restaurant, commenting on their bodies and outfits. The men gossip about a colleague they spotted. They discuss his earnings, outfits, and the woman he was with, making rude comments about her. 

Patrick pulls out his business card, wishing to impress his friends as he is feeling jealous that McDermott’s connections managed to get them into such an exclusive restaurant. The men are initially impressed, but as they each show off their increasingly impressive business cards, Patrick sulks and is annoyed he was outdone. The men then discuss whether their waitress is attractive or not and then each share their tanning routines. Patrick is briefly distracted after spotting Paul Owen across the restaurant and wonders how he managed to secure the business deals. 

Chapter 5 – Tunnel

After dinner, the four men go to an exclusive club filled with Wall Street bankers. Before go...