Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

13 reviews

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

amsswim's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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'm not sure really what to say about this. I enjoyed it. This is the second book by the author Ottessa Moshfegh I have read, the other being 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', and just as that one this book is just unhinged. I think this one may be more based in reality but still gave me the feeling of unsettlement. If you like weird things this may be for you. 

I am now very interested in watching the movie they made recently based on this starring Anne Hathaway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Car accident

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

ellxnmcgrxth's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.5

The absolute misery of the protagonist's POV is very difficult to put up with considering not much else really happens. The ending is beautiful, but not beautiful enough to offset the bleakness of the rest of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, 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

olive_lol's review against another edition

dark 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

2.5

This novel's setting over the Christmas season creates a uniquely lonely atmosphere. Each scene is packed with description of often mundane things, which, for me, at least, got old after about a hundred pages. Some topics, like alcoholism and child abuse, are explored deeply through multiple characters who experience them.

This novel obviously makes you uncomfortable and grossed out on purpose, but I honestly don't think the story benefits much from that. Most of the sensetive or gross topics feel like they were only included for shock and contributed little to any wider commentary. However, some topics are very well-explored, just not most of those included. That said, make sure you check the content warnings for this book.

Nothing much in the plot happens until about the last third; most of the book leading up to that point is a mix of anecdotes, atmosphere, and gross-out description. For most of the first third, I was really considering picking up another book instead because so little was happening or felt significant. It did create a nice payoff when, in the last third, things started happening, but that didn't outweigh the slowness of the beginning and middle for me.

This book really wasn't for me. It had some merits, like strong descriptions and atmosphere. However, I couldn't look past the overly slow pacing and the overuse of some sensetive topics seemingly for shock.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism

fandomsandfiction's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, and Car accident

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape

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

5aru's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.25

Dark is the only word that comes to mind when describing Moshfegh's writing and choices of subject matter. Never shying away from the gross, the violent, the disturbing, she delves deeply into the parts of life we often become wilfully blind to. And this novel is no exception.

What I liked most was Eileen herself, which is hardly surprising given how central she is to the novel. Profoundly unlikeable yet heartbreakingly relatable, I feel that Eileen's character really speaks to the darkness of growing up a woman. The sense of continual stagnation, of self-disgust and constant insecurity, the fear of intimacy and of one's own body imposed by the rampant purity culture around her, the desperate need to be loved, to feel liked at any cost — all of it speaks to an experience of womanhood that goes far beyond the peculiarities of Eileen's situation.

Beyond Eileen herself, the twist of the novel is simple, but still excellent. It works. It hits and the novel runs with it. The conclusion feels a little abrupt, but it is fitting — it's something the readers always knew was coming, that was being built up from the beginning, and so it makes total sense for it to end the way it did. It tied things up nicely, despite the huge open-endedness it leaves behind. I really enjoyed this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident

tacochelle's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

4.0

Oh Eileen, you nasty bitch.

This is primarily a character study of a young woman in 50s Massachusetts, who works as a secretary at a youth correctional facility. While there is some commentary on the state of these places, how the young men are treated, that statement is almost heightened by the fact that as the narrator, Eileen doesn't linger on it. She simply doesn't care about them, and that's kinda the point. Eileen is passionate, lonely, pathetic, and disgusting. She is both self-loathing and self-centered. The way she describes herself in extreme detail, hyper-focused on every bodily function, whether anyone else notices her in that way- it's very gross, but somewhat relatable? Like I get it, as someone who spent a long time feeling absolutely digusted with my physical existence, those parts got to me. Eileen also latches on to the tiniest bit of affection shown to her, which leads to an obsession with her new coworker and getting caught up in a crime. Eileen doesn't do any of this because she gives a shit. She is just chasing that high of feeling loved.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Car accident, and Classism