Scan barcode
anikar's review against another edition
3.5
“I didn’t want anyone coming in, burying severed hands in my couch, or worse—burying severed hands in my couch, and then removing them, so that I’d never know.” pg 195
(3.5 rounded up)
another odd book from Moshfegh, whose writing style always captivates me. here we follow a 72 year old woman’s train of thoughts and hallucinations where you’re left wondering if anything, including the inciting incident, really happened. not my favorite but also something i was able to sink into.
(3.5 rounded up)
another odd book from Moshfegh, whose writing style always captivates me. here we follow a 72 year old woman’s train of thoughts and hallucinations where you’re left wondering if anything, including the inciting incident, really happened. not my favorite but also something i was able to sink into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
pamnc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to love this book based on the premise but it didn’t happen. The FMC is fat phobic, kills her dog, and spends an incredible amount of time obsessed with a murder that never happened. (The stream of consciousness is both interesting and frustrating.)
Similar to the other Moshfegh book I read recently, I finished mostly unsatisfied with the time spent reading.
Similar to the other Moshfegh book I read recently, I finished mostly unsatisfied with the time spent reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Terminal illness and Sexual harassment
lambofgod420's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moshfegh takes a little work and this is no exception. The premise is spooky, but the way it all pans out makes scary and sad. Well-written and well thought out. The ending will either leave you with questions or leave you thinking it was all incredibly clear cut, which to me is indicative of great writing. Still not sure if OM is for me, but can’t deny that this was great. If you don’t like things that are deeply upsetting do not read lmfao
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
ceciliah03's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hmm… keep grappling with moshfegh, not sure this is for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
nellyandclem's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Well. This is the first book I’ve read in a long time that I have no idea how to review. It’s the literary equivalent to watching Mother! or the film Men. It fully broke my brain.
I loved it, I hated it, I didn’t want it to end, I couldn’t wait to finish it. It was complex and tense, heartbreaking and sinister. I guess you could argue it encompassed how it feels to be a woman, specifically an older woman looking back on her life.
I can’t give too much away and I’m loathed to just label this as a book where ‘a woman goes off the deep end’ as that would do it a disservice. It’s nuanced and a slow burn.
The main character is difficult and flawed. As the story progresses you look back on her life alongside her and feel those regrets and losses. Loss of life, love, independence, youth, beauty, it’s all there.
It’s beautifully written, you float through the story as Vesta speculates if a murder has occurred. She creates a list of suspects in her mind that slowly seem to merge with reality. I think that’s the main takeaway, you’re left not knowing what is real and what is memory or imagined… like I said, it broke my brain.
I’m left frustrated but also in awe of the ability to write such a book. It’ll stick with me.
I loved it, I hated it, I didn’t want it to end, I couldn’t wait to finish it. It was complex and tense, heartbreaking and sinister. I guess you could argue it encompassed how it feels to be a woman, specifically an older woman looking back on her life.
I can’t give too much away and I’m loathed to just label this as a book where ‘a woman goes off the deep end’ as that would do it a disservice. It’s nuanced and a slow burn.
The main character is difficult and flawed. As the story progresses you look back on her life alongside her and feel those regrets and losses. Loss of life, love, independence, youth, beauty, it’s all there.
It’s beautifully written, you float through the story as Vesta speculates if a murder has occurred. She creates a list of suspects in her mind that slowly seem to merge with reality. I think that’s the main takeaway, you’re left not knowing what is real and what is memory or imagined… like I said, it broke my brain.
I’m left frustrated but also in awe of the ability to write such a book. It’ll stick with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
rcy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death
Minor: Blood
kadinelouise's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was one of the strangest books I have ever read. The MC’s internal monologue is the majority of the story, so it is interesting to see how she is interpreting the world around her into the story she is spinning. Made me think a lot about growing old, loneliness, and dealing with the world’s demons.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, Grief, and Abortion
hazzatronica's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I get what the author was going for, but this was way too sad and muddled for me to enjoy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault
pv_789's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Suicide, and Terminal illness
kellyisntcool's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
My first go at this book was with the audio version. Really interesting experience but I felt like I increasingly fell off due to just how insane the narrator is. A cool effect to listen to, being she’s peak unreliable narrator and the book is her stream of consciousness. I look forward to reading a physical version to see if that changes my rating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Violence