Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - My Year of Rest and Relaxation

I was surprised at how much I genuinely loved this book. I already want to re-read it. I can see the criticisms that we’re made about this book, but personally, the book was very relatable for me. The book gave a real look at types of depression and how different people cope with their grief. I also love books that describe every day, mundane things in an interesting manner, and the prose of this book does it very well. The psychiatrist was hilarious, I don’t think I’ve run across such a perfectly scattered and absurd character before. The ending was also interesting and unexpectedly tied historical events into the final chapter. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone because it can definitely be triggering and the characters may be annoying to many people, but I love this book and will be re-reading it.

Content Warnings

aliciachauhan_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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blueberryhotel's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

not sure what to make of this book. it’s definitely not for everyone and i can see why it’s so controversial. on one hand, i really appreciated how true to life it felt in portraying a depressive episode that robs you of any ability to feel or operate like anything resembling a human being; however, that felt a little TOO real for me at times, which is more of a personal thing than a complaint about the book. obviously the narrator is unlikeable, and i kind of liked that because it’s different and challenging and i hate the trend of audiences gravitating solely towards media with a clear-cut, black-and-white portrayal of a hero with perfect morals. but i can also understand why some readers hate the narrator so much they find it unbearable to read, and it’s certainly difficult to really connect with her. i liked the writing and i was very impressed by the fact that a book where virtually nothing happens could have me hooked to the point that i read it as quickly as i did. for some reason i did expect some more dramatic twists or turns in the plot and was left a little disappointed and wanting more from the ending, but i can respect that it wouldn’t have really represented the character or the experience of depression. overall i liked it but it wasn’t my favorite book i’ve ever read

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softerspot's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-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

4.25

I felt the protagonists were, while not likable, loveable.

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peachmoni's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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