Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

215 reviews

torihbu's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

this book describes the inner world of a troubled young woman. it's a difficult line to walk, but the author focuses so much on the inner workings of the main character's mind that the book doesn't really have much of a plot until almost the very end. i suppose that's meant to be a representation of the character's own experience--nothing mattering outside of herself until something comes along to force her into reality--but it makes for a slow, boring read. while i understand the main character, she's not very likable (again, likely by the author's design), so the reader is left to spend time only with her for the majority of the book. an interesting concept in theory but falls a bit flat in practice.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Ableism

thisiscourt's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Incest, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

daniellelikesbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Physical abuse, and Excrement

astronutty's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

2.5

ottessa stop being fatphobic challenge: failed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, and Racial slurs

antsreadsfilth's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

0.75

The only reason this book gets anything above a 0 is because I found the out of pocket descriptions and fucked up thoughts of the mc to be mildly entertaining. This is now my least favourite book ever. If this book has 100 haters I’m one of them if this book has one hater it’s me and if this book has no haters I’m dead…. Respectfully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, and Rape

weirdow's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

An unlikable and unreliable narrator. Reminds me of Gillian Flynn's leads if they were a bit more thoroughly unlikable. A very, very slow build focused on developing Eileen, who is terrible but also somewhat understandable. 

Tw pedophilia, incest, sexual assault

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

Moderate: Gun violence and Incest

carojust's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

1.0

This book is 90% tedious foreshadowing, with an unsurprising climax. I'm realizing that Ottessa Moshfegh's brand is bored psychotic girl inner monologue told through every trope of perversion and filth, copy paste. 

I'm okay with that premise, but a whole non-plot about incestuous rape and pedophilia and a weirdly dismissive and predatory lens on incarcerated boys? 

I wish I could erase this from my brain. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

rebeccaquinton's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

eileen_asr's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

this is what I called a good complex character, this book is probably only 10% focused on the story itself rather that unraveling the mind of Eileen
that’s what I call the duality of a woman: feeling like the most repulsive person and also that i’m the most interesting person that you’ll ever see
we’re stuck between feeling empathy for Eileen that she never got to experience love and yet every time she take the rag under our feet with some rather disturbing thoughts
it was already weird to read a book where the main character shares your name but then to relate that was another level of insane
honestly I feel like Eileen has nothing special in the way she think and act, looking back, all of it it’s pretty common, she just feel out of her skin and who hasn’t feel like that, especially as a teenager
as much as her thoughts can be disgusting they’re also nothing shirt but brutally honest
anyway I did wish we could understand more Rebecca, like truly between the two of them she was the crazy one
(I found very funny and sad at the same time Eileen being so delulu abourt Rebecca’s friendship)
anyway a very good book to reflect on the human mind and how deranged yet normal it can be

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Incest, Rape, and Self harm

_mreilly_'s review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Although I love how poetic Moshfegh is, the book was incredibly slow and didn’t get into the meat of the story until more than halfway through the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Death of parent