Maeve Fly

American Psycho (1991) is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis. It tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street stockbroker who goes on a killing spree across the city. Not required to work, he assuages his boredom by violently killing unhoused people, sex workers, and even a child. Central to Bateman’s character is his identity as a wealthy, money-obsessed businessman, using his power to influence those around him and committing murder simply because he can.

In Maeve Fly, Maeve finds Ellis’s novel when she is at her lowest point, despairing at the loss of her job, Kate, her grandmother, and Gideon. From that point forward, she gives in to her dark nature by committing murders throughout the city, seeking vengeance on Liz and Andre, brutally torturing Derek as revenge for his abuse of Kate, and even killing a band simply for using her grandmother’s image. When Maeve finds American Psycho, she thinks of how she “had not considered before, not in any real seriousness” the thought of living her life in a way that is “not quiet or secret or tucked away” (193). Through her connection to this novel, Maeve realizes that she can give in to her need for violence and embrace who she truly is—just as Bateman does in American Psycho.