When we sat down to eat I took inventory of the people in the room, and the remnants of my good mood evaporated when I realized how very little I had in common with them – the career dads, the responsible and diligent moms – and I was soon filled with dread and loneliness. I locked in on the smug feeling of superiority that married couples give off and that permeated the air – the shared assumptions, the sweet and contented apathy, it all lingered everywhere – despite the absence in the room of anyone single at which to aim this.

In 2010 Ellis released the sequel to his debut novel in the form of Imperial Bedrooms. In a 2010 interview however he claims to have "lied" about this explanation. Ellis records a fictionalized version of his life story up until this point in the first chapter of Lunar Park (2005).

He was at first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack which also included Tama Janowitz and Jay McInerney. In later years Ellis' novels have become increasingly metafictional. Mary Harron's adaptation of American Psycho was released to predominantly positive reviews in 2000 and went on to achieve cult status.