American Psycho

Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho, New York: Vintage Books, 1991

Very controversial upon getting published Bret Easton Ellis’s disturbing satire American Psycho explores the life of Patrick Bateman a stereotypical eighties yuppie who has it all beautiful fiancée, high paying job and the best fashion but also is a serial murder.

The novel set in New York follows Bateman through his own perspective as he goes to work, goes to parties, argues with friends over the best fashion and appliances and while he tortures and kills people mostly women.

While very gruesome, violent and graphic American Psycho is often very darkly hilarious as it satirizes vanity, consumerism and machismo in eighties Wall street culture.

Disturbing and not for the suitable for the weak stomached but anyone who can handle it will find it most enjoyable.

Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture

Coupland, Douglas. Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, New York: St. Martin's Press,1991

Told from multiple perspectives Generation X: tales for an accelerated culture follows three friends Dag, Claire and Andy as they face dilemmas pertaining to being part of the post baby boomer generation.

Satircal in nature Coupland successfully lampoons absurdities of the 1990s such as the Mcjob revolution.

A novel pumped with anarchy with characters that refuse to grow and give to monotony.

Hilarious and well structured Generation X: tales for an accelerated culture is a good read.

Geek Love

Dunn, Katherine. Geek Love, New York: A. A. Knopf, c1989

Geek love tells the story of the Al and Lillian Binewski and their children who Al and Lillian deliberately tried to give them birth defects to make them bigger attractions to the carnival.

Told in two different time periods one that follows the Binewski family travelling around the country as performers in the carnival and the infighting between the children especially around the spotlight and the second is set much further in the future as it follows Oly Binewski one of the children and a humpback who spies on her daughter who doesn’t know Oly is her mother.

Containing a lot of black humor Geek Love satirizes spectacles, religion, celebrity and vanity.

This novel should be considered an underground classic.

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer

Suskind, Patrick. Perfume: the story of a murderer, New York: A.A. Knopf, 1986

Set in France Perfume Jean-Baptiste Grenouille an orphan who processes an incredibly sense of smell which is the source of his horrible obsession.

As Jean-Baptiste grows up and becomes an apprentice perfume maker which is ironic because he himself has no scent.

His search for perfect scent though drives him to terrible acts as he believes young virgins possess the scent he is after.

A tale full of intrigue and horror, not for those who scare easy or detest violence.

Perfume has become a cult classic and has even broken into mainstream conciseness.

Empire of the Sun

Ballard, J.G. Empire of the Sun, New York: Simon and Schuster, c1984

Based on J.G. Ballard’s real life accounts Empire of the Sun follows Jim Graham a British boy who lives in Shanghai with his parents.

His life gets chaotic after the Pearl Harbor attacks as he gets separated for his parents and put in Japanese concentration camp and must endure much turmoil to get back to his parents.

Bleak and haunting in the novels tone as Jim must encounter war and the worst in the men at such a young age.

A highly emotional coming of age tale that can be enjoyed from people in their adolescence and older.

Ham on Rye

Bukowski, Charles. Ham on Rye, New York: Ecco, c1982.

Ham on Rye tells the origin story of Henry Chinaski Charles Bukowski’s alter ego anti hero protagonist who is the main character in most of his novels.

It follows Chinaski through his childhood in the depression with his strict very cruel father to his adolescence where he was alienated by his disfiguring pimples and ill-temper right through to the start of his adulthood and the start of his alcoholism.

Like many pieces of literature Charles Bukowski produces Ham on Rye is hilarious and cynical in its outlook on life and early twentieth century Los Angles but it also has this sense of tragedy, regret and nostalgia.

An intriguing novel that might answer some questions why Henry Chinaski and Charles Bukowski are the way they are.

Blood and Guts in High School

Acker,Kathy. Blood and Guts in High School, New York: Grove Press, c1978.

Told through diary entries Blood and Guts in High School recounts the story of Janey Smith as she describes the recent events in her life such as becoming a prostitute after her father who was also her lover rejects her for another women.

Considered experimental fiction because of its narrative style using conversation, description, conjecture, and moments snatched from history and literature to convey the emotions and story.

The novel is in your face with a very punk feminist feel which gets in enhanced by the writing style and the subversive topics covered in the book.

While the book has a liberating teenage protaganist it also graphic and should not be read by younger audiences.