I had all the characteristics of a human being—flesh, blood, skin, hair—but my depersonalization was so intense, had gone so deep, that my normal ability to feel compassion had been eradicated, the victim of a slow, purposeful erasure. I was simply imitating reality, a rough resemblance of a human being, with only a dim corner of my mind functioning

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.