A review by astridrv
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
What a fever dream of a book. The concept worked, although I get reservations about the ending. The writing is enthralling, the narrator has a really strong voice and is clearly defined in all her layers and murkiness. It is a cold book (and do check the content warnings because it’s a lot), but also a little bit tender. It made me think, all along, may I never be or feel like that. But the narrator is aware of her world, of the game of rich and pretty she’s both winning and losing at. Finishing this book feels like walking out of a movie into daylight. I’m left engulfed, squinting, having spent a few hours in a life so distant from mine it can only have grown my empathy.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Abortion, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Animal cruelty