Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

34 reviews

brinnavirginia's review against another edition

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

I'm apt to love a book in which nothing much happens and of course welcome a book rich in plot. This book is at least 50% exposition and then attempts to squeeze the rest of a plot into the final third or so--one that's just-ok and simply not worth trudging through what comes first to get there.
I'm down with an unlikable protagonist, but Eileen was not interesting enough to warrant her detestable character (and intense, over-the-top, makes-me-think-it-might-be-the-author fatphobia). I enjoyed the womanly yuckiness at first until it was just soooo much puke.
This book could have been, like, a hundred fewer pages. I had to read the Wikipedia plot summary to convince myself to just finish reading it (pulled through for book club <3). In the end, it wasn't worth the effort.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

amharless417's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

gaeliloveweiss's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.75

Don’t read this unless you love an awful person character study.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

leelu55's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

3.25

The writing starts off impressively, with skillful narration that penetrates deeply, making the reader vividly feel and smell the humiliating and devastating aspects of Eileen's life. Decay, rot, dirt, and deep unhappiness seep from the pages into the reader's mind. The future Eileen's tone, oscillating between indulgence, self-loathing, and dry humor, combined with short, precise sentences, makes the story an easy read, hurtling towards its inevitably dark and disastrous conclusion.

However, the ending disappoints, presenting a tragic and hopeless fate, and the most horrible crimes imaginable are exploited for Eileen's personal development in an unbearably nonchalant and casual manner. I found the conclusion truly annoying, with the profane way the events were wrapped up, the plot falling apart, and all the characters being cast aside after their stories were used to create the necessary effects.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Car accident, and Sexual harassment

kmcgraw's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

4.25

I felt at times it was slow and repetitive but I was truly enthralled from the beginning. I read this in two days and couldn’t put it down. Deals with very dark/heavy themes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Addiction, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

Minor: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, and Abortion

zoecitterman's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• 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: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

mreisen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

Major trigger warning for multiple types of abuse and addiction. Read if you like introspective character studies and enjoy a winding, convoluted, sometimes unclear plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

vbarsi'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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Moderate: Fatphobia, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

augusta_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.25

Hm. I don’t think Ottessa Moshfegh’s books are for me, and this will probably be the last that I’ll read. Personally, her writing comes off to me like it’s trying to be shocking/edgy/grimy without actually having any further effect or commentary. 

I liked it better than My Year of Rest and Relaxation—one of her other books I read previously, which, the more I think about the less I like. 

The thing is, Eileen still has some of the same problems that disenchanted me with that book. I really don’t love the reused themes of eating disorders, the fantasies of sexual assault, the ultra descriptive paragraphs about laxatives and shitting, with seemingly nothing insightful or redeeming attached to them. Maybe it’s going over my head, maybe i’m not reading deep enough, maybe i’m being too demure. But I don’t think i am. It feels like Ottessa uses these themes for shock and and unconventionality—especially in the form of her narrators—rather than having perceivable psychological significance. 

There are a couple moments in the book that escape this and do have a commentary that is more significant, but most of the time that doesn’t feel like the case. 

I will say that the pace of this was a lot faster than R&R, and I very much appreciated that. But by the same token I also feel like nothing really happened? It’s fast paced and feels like it’s leading up to this huge thing…but once we get there it feels like about 3 pages of action. Given all the prior building up and alluding to of this “life changing event”, things really fell a little flat once you arrive there. I feel like I was much more intrigued by the lead up, than the actual “climactic” event. 

The end falls into the same problem I had with My Year of Rest & Relaxation. We have a character who’s suddenly turned around their once cynical view on life, and yet it doesn’t seem earned—or even really plausible, to me. It feels rushed and neatly tied off, in a way that doesn’t align with the rest of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Excrement, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Gun violence, Torture, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

hick's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, and Classism