Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

269 reviews

alyssavaughan32's review against another edition

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

2.0

Wow, I really don’t know where to begin with this one. I was attracted to the premise because I do think that engaging in rest is an act of rebellion in our capitalistic society, so I was curious to see what this would look like for the main character as she sought healing. While trauma and poor mental health can lead to maladaptive behaviors, I found myself very frustrated with the main character, her shitty behaviors, and complete apathy (and maybe actual hatred??) for every person she interacted with. As a very relational person, I struggled to relate and empathize with her. I also struggled on this front when it came to the MC’s privilege— you’re telling me that you have the financial means necessary to completely take off work for a year and still have plenty of financial stability and you choose to spend that *entire* year drugging yourself to sleep? I feel that there are other (more effective) ways to grow and heal as a person, but that’s just me… I’m a big fan of sleep (nap queen, truly), but I fail to see how abusing sleep medications so you can sleep literally all the time is healing and allows a fresh start. And in those waking moments, the focus is on “I’m still beautiful despite how others would look in my situation” and “Ew, how gross that other people are experiencing feelings and grief”. All of this paired with a “redemption/growth arc” that consisted of the MC finding beauty and meaning as she repeatedly watches a news clip of a woman jumping out of the Twin Towers on 9/11 just felt icky. Overall, I appreciate the nuance when it comes to depicting the human experience, but… this just wasn’t it for me. 
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ains_mf's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense slow-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

2.5

I didn’t feel that much happened in this book. Felt very repetitive, and the ending seemed rushed.
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leavemejoy's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad 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

3.75

quite the odd book. the unnamed narrator’s goal to essentially hibernate for an entire year is an intriguing concept for a novel. the “plot” itself is a bit boring and repetitive in the beginning, but it picks up towards the middle. slow, but well-paced. outlandish stories like this can easily turn me off, but there was a point to be made with all the chaos, so it worked. the narrator is as compelling as she is insufferable. i see why a lot of people like and don’t like this book; being a character driven narrative, it hinges on you finding her and her relationships enjoyable to read about. her unlikeable personality worked for me as there was a clear purpose to it, but i can see why it did not work for others. the relationship between the narrator and reva was the heart of the novel. i kept reading just to get to more scenes of them together. i liked picking up on the several ways they foil each other and how their dynamic portrays the novel’s more interesting themes.

some (glaring) issues that keep this from being a full 4 stars: the majority of the comedy fell flat for me, apart from two bits that i remember laughing at. the narrator’s tangents about whoopi goldberg were especially unfunny and a little uncomfortable to read at times. as this was advertised as a “dark comedy”, i was disappointed. i also HATED the psychiatrist (i don’t even remember her name). i understand her purpose and why she’s necessary, but her character and dialogue irritated me. lastly, the ending was surprisingly underwhelming given what happens and all the foreshadowing that leads up to it. perhaps this was the point, but my thoughts remain the same.

a cool idea executed somewhat successfully, and it was an enjoyable and entertaining read overall.


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iitsmelbelle's review against another edition

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

3.5

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hellhathnofury's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The pacing is difficult to stick with and though an exercise in absurdism, I lost track of what it was the author was critiquing. The main character is the product of nepotism and privilege? Society? Capitalism? 
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krosebooks's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Majority of the book is kinda a sleep haze. The writing style is uniquely weird like a dream that doesn’t make any sense. She transforms her self harm into a form of meditation, letting her subconscious do the work. 

The ending is amazingly dark and beautiful. 
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squaeshy's review against another edition

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

4.5

wow. i finished this book just thinking “what the fuck did i just sit through??”. it’s definitely a good read, very much a “it’s a girl thing, you wouldn’t get it” sorta book. 

spoilers ahead:
after everything we go through with the MC, to get a glimpse of her new life after clawing her way through it. the drugs didn’t help, until they did when reva took them and snapped the MC back to reality with her purpose of taking these drugs. the entire time, i thought she was just going to spiral and OD, but she made it through. Reva gave her purpose, even in death. just wow. a mindfuck story about grief, girlhood, abusive relations all around, and relatable crude comments.
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shakirajain's review against another edition

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

4.0

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seelendimensionen's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

0.25

One of the worst books I have ever red!! Not because it is badly written, but because the way this book speaks about/describes so many severe(!!) mental health issues in a casual/sarcastic way is just offputting to me. The ending just left me completely clueless and speechless what inspiration/message one should take from this book. There need to be trigger warnings for depression, suicidal behaviour/tendencies, drug abuse/addiction and so many more things. This book is honestly just weird and disturbing. 
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tofuandtears's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

ughhhhh blech 🙄🙄🙄

at first it was kind of a trip to read about an insufferable woman just fully go off the deep end, but now im sitting here annoyed, really annoyed.

there were fragments of this that were interesting and dare I say relatable (wanting to sleep and be nothing for months on end, stop the endless churn of life) but it was certainty not enough to make it a good book. 

and the 9/11 shit bothered me too i knew it was going to end like that

not a book for me
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