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A review by rey_reads
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
4.5
complicated!
darkly funny. often horrible and repulsive. consistently absurd.
if you need to be able to like characters in the books you read, or believe that they are morally redeemable to enjoy a piece of writing, this isn’t for you.
you can make an argument for all of these characters being “bad people”. they aren’t nice. but they all contain this kernel of real, raw and horrible human nature. sometimes it reflects back at you. it’s brilliant. it’s funny!
sure, i can see the argument that a lot of this book hangs on character stereotypes. i don’t think this necessarily detracts from it. if you don’t like them - congrats! isn’t that part of the point?
before reading i saw a review that said it negatively impacted their own mental health - and yeah, i probably should have paid more attention to that.
potential detrimental effects on my own wellbeing aside i really did love it. i appreciated the looming spectre of 9/11. and i really do think that the final chapters - the end of ch 7 & 8 - were beautiful. i think Moshfegh just managed to tip the ending away from trite, but it was walking a bit of a tightrope and some really slight changes to any of it - the writing, the characters, the “emotional journey” would have absolutely upset that balance for me.
darkly funny. often horrible and repulsive. consistently absurd.
if you need to be able to like characters in the books you read, or believe that they are morally redeemable to enjoy a piece of writing, this isn’t for you.
you can make an argument for all of these characters being “bad people”. they aren’t nice. but they all contain this kernel of real, raw and horrible human nature. sometimes it reflects back at you. it’s brilliant. it’s funny!
sure, i can see the argument that a lot of this book hangs on character stereotypes. i don’t think this necessarily detracts from it. if you don’t like them - congrats! isn’t that part of the point?
before reading i saw a review that said it negatively impacted their own mental health - and yeah, i probably should have paid more attention to that.
potential detrimental effects on my own wellbeing aside i really did love it. i appreciated the looming spectre of 9/11. and i really do think that the final chapters - the end of ch 7 & 8 - were beautiful. i think Moshfegh just managed to tip the ending away from trite, but it was walking a bit of a tightrope and some really slight changes to any of it - the writing, the characters, the “emotional journey” would have absolutely upset that balance for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Eating disorder
Moderate: Abortion and Death of parent