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

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

3.5

I picked up My Year Of Rest and Relaxation after finishing Eileen. I'm becoming quite a fan of Otessa, but this one didn't stick with me as much as Eileen did. I love a disgusting, troubled woman coming to terms with herself, however this unnnamed narrator fell a little flat for me. With Eileen, I felt her desperation for change from who she was, and with this narrator the feeling wasn't as intense. 

I did think that the commentary on grief and the handling of it was artful. Experiencing Reva's mom's funeral from the perspective of our orphaned narrator was truly the peak of this story. Reva herself was such a gripping character, and for the narrator to patronize her over and over again only to realize Reva was living the life she was after all along in those tragic final moments was incredibly thought provoking. 

Overall, I do think the writing for MYORAR was stunning and the disecting of such a complex character was fun. I reccomend if your the type of person to scroll your day away on tik tok or if you squander your potential often. You'll find comfort in this book.
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