Who Would Like This Book:
If you're into darkly funny, character-driven stories with a sharp satirical edge, this one stands out as a unique read. Ottessa Moshfegh takes you inside the mind of a privileged, deeply flawed protagonist who opts out of society in search of transformation via pharmaceutical hibernation. Expect biting critiques of early-2000s NYC, toxic friendship, and the art world, all told with bone-dry wit. Fans of literary fiction that digs into depression, alienation, and the bizarre ways we try to fix ourselves, especially if you liked 'The Bell Jar' or 'American Psycho,' will probably find this fascinating. It's compulsively readable even when you can't stand the characters.
Who May Not Like This Book:
This novel is not for everyone. Many readers found the protagonist painfully unlikeable, the plot repetitive, and the series of poor decisions frustrating to witness. If you need characters to root for or a traditional narrative arc, you might find this dreary, nihilistic, or even pointless. The book deals with heavy themes - depression, addiction, and emotional detachment - without offering much in the way of hope. Some readers were upset by its handling of sensitive topics and use of real-life tragedy. If you're triggered by discussions of mental health struggles, or prefer stories with warmth or redemption, you might want to skip this.
About:
'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' by Ottessa Moshfegh follows an unnamed narrator, a young woman in New York City who, after inheriting her parents' wealth, decides to spend a year in a drug-induced sleep, cutting off contact with the world. The book delves into themes of depression, escapism, and societal disdain, as the narrator navigates a year of numbness and self-imposed isolation, reflecting on relationships, privilege, and the pursuit of rest and relaxation. Moshfegh's writing style is described as dark, raw, and honest, capturing the protagonist's apathy and vulnerability, while also maintaining a sense of humor and quirkiness throughout the narrative.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include mental health issues, drug abuse, grief, and discussions surrounding suicidal ideation.
From The Publisher:
Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, Time, NPR, Amazon,Vice, Bustle, The New York Times, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Entertainment Weekly, The AV Club, & Audible
A New York Times Bestseller
"One of the most compelling protagonists modern fiction has offered in years: a loopy, quietly furious pillhead whose Ambien ramblings and Xanaxed b*tcheries somehow wend their way through sad and funny and strange toward something genuinely profound." - Entertainment Weekly
"Darkly hilarious . . . [Moshfegh's] the kind of provocateur who makes you laugh out loud while drawing blood." -Vogue
From one of our boldest, most celebrated new literary voices, a novel about a young woman's efforts to duck the ills of the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature and the battery of medicines she prescribes.
Our narrator should be happy, shouldn't she? She's young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, works an easy job at a hip art gallery, lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like the rest of her needs, by her inheritance. But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart, and it isn't just the loss of her parents, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend, Reva. It's the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong?
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question. Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world, Moshfegh shows us how reasonable, even necessary, alienation can be. Both tender and blackly funny, merciless and compassionate, it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers.
Ratings (336)
Incredible (47) | |
Loved It (127) | |
Liked It (80) | |
It Was OK (41) | |
Did Not Like (28) | |
Hated It (13) |
Reader Stats (726):
Read It (343) | |
Currently Reading (8) | |
Want To Read (285) | |
Did Not Finish (15) | |
Not Interested (75) |
13 comment(s)
скажу одразу, я не знаю як ставитися до цієї книги
я всю книгу думала типу "втф, що я бляха читаю", бо героїня ніяких приємних почуттів до себе не викликала (особливо своїми коментарями та поведінкою). крім того, що вона донька своєї матері так поводитися як свинота
я стільки разів думала, що це сатира на наш світ, або сучасну моду, або висміювання такої собі "білої привілейованої американки", або може це розкриття людей з розумовими або інтелектуальними психічними порушеннями, але це вже якась неповага
й про оцінку думала поставити на рівні 3 та сказати, що це книга про сіру героїню зі своїм стилем життя, але щось багато я хочу, тому ось так
щоб це не виглядало, як обсіраловка похвалю стиль авторки, дуже мені подобається ось такий варіант оповіді, як потік думок і всьо
але кажу ж, мені подобається текст, але не те що він розказує
I'm usually a fan of heavy books like this one. What ruined it for me wasn't the heaviness, not at all. What ruined it is the meaningless attitude it's written in. This book made me feel a whole lot of nothing. I have no interesting or profound takeaways, I have no characters I am close to, I have no emotional payoff, I have no connection to the plot. I found this completely unrewarding. Not intellectual or emotionally. Felt like a complete waste of time.
I loved how chaotic and shocking this was while also keeping it 1000% real with how we all feel sometimes. I’d like to reread this one again for sure.
This was one of my all time favorite books and made me fall in love with Moshfegh. While most of her books make you feel like taking a hot shower after reading, as a former protagonist from a former books said " sometimes I like to stew in my filth for awhile "
She writes messy, eccentric, strange, misanthropic characters so damn well.
you're just a little bit too much like me
4.25⭐
I found myself bored reading this which is a shame as wanted to really like it. Could be a sign of the times and not enough plot for me at the moment.
Yikes. The writing in this book is amazing. I love a good character to hate. This book just didn't sit right with me. Yes, it was a look into what living with depression is like (hell yeah I'd love to sleep for a year), but I really thought the ending was not powerful as I assume Ottessa was trying to make it. It felt gross and mocking. But who knows I'm just a girl who reads.
My first of Moshfegh's. I don't know what to say. She uses perfect prose to describe the grittiest things. She makes you somehow sympathize with the most deranged narrator. Moshfegh knows the depths of depression and complex grief like her own soul; which, if you're familiar with either, probably lends to empathizing with the protagonist. If it weren't for the final page, I'd give it five stars. We knew the situation, no need to hand feed it; that made it feel trite.
I read on Kindle, so I usually read the sample of the book I am interested in finishing. That’s what I did here, and I was hooked. I suggested the book to my book club and they thought it a bit ridiculous: the story of a woman who sleeps all the time? So so much more! Those in the club who read it loved it as much as I did. Those who didnt lost the opportunity to gain profound insight into how women become who they are.
What can you read after
My Year of Rest and Relaxation?
About the Author:
Ottessa Moshfegh is a fiction writer from New England. Eileen, her first novel, was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Man Booker Prize, and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction. My Year of Rest and…
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