A review by teaqueen
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

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

2.5

This book was agonising to read. I put it down and often it was a struggle to pick back up (took me 4.5 months to finish 😂). I get it was supposed to be slow. I can handle the LONG ASS chapters. I get the main character is supposed to be unlikable. I don't have to like her. But it was mostly boring. Ffs from around the halfway point I was SKIMMING the pages!! I really wanted to see what happened at the end, I had an inkling of where it would end and I was right. It was interesting reading references to the year 2000, kind of cool tbh.

I liked the character development from the cave saga to rejoining the world.

The last line would have worked better if she wasn't "diving into the unknown", because she wasn't. She knew what she was heading towards.

Apart from the boredom and subpar attempt at depth, the character's backstory didn't really grip me, there was nothing relatable and all the talk about medicines in American brands made me lose interest so fast. I don't care what youre taking hun, I have no idea wtf you're talking about. Also, doing a bit much with all the meds and shit. 

I would have liked to have known what happened next, for..... Whatever her name is. Lol I thought I blocked it out but just realised her name was never given, that's a nice touch but the story needed more to back up the impact of it.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings