Reviews

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

laciebug's review against another edition

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dark funny fast-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

3.25

Call me Whoopi.

Comparable to Eileen by the same author - A look into the mind of a Weird Girl(tm), but less malicious and creepy and more off duty model. Less female manipulator, more female pill popper addicted to the blur of sleep as a coping mechanism; a break from the real world. 

The juxtaposition between the main character and her friend, Reva, was what made the novel particularly compelling for me. Reva is her counterpart, living unapologetically and urging our mc to join her - It is clear from the beginning that the mc's disdain for her comes from her deep discomfort with embracing life and her pathological avoidance of anything uncomfortable. 

Mc's life is simple - Abusing prescription pills, heavily sleeping, bad bodega coffee, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Until it isn't anymore; in the end, her year of rest and relaxation does instill in her a new appreciation for life, though the experiment was not without its losses. In New York, 2001, loss is bound to come.


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tfuchs's review against another edition

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1.0

what the hell

kaseykrok's review against another edition

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3.0

Didn't love it, didn't hate it. The ability to write a character completely both unrelatable and relatable is admirable. I'll think of this story every September now.

mary_is_here's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

joelbass's review against another edition

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3.0

Interesting, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, in that dry, dark way that A Confederacy of Dunces often was. But, perhaps fittingly, there wasn't a lot of forward progress, which made it kind of hard for me to stick with.

emmaraecohen's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nis_books's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense 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

3.75

fefe__b's review against another edition

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

3.25

shanmcdrmtt's review against another edition

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5.0

while i likely will never fully comprehend all the many meanings behind everything in this book, i can confidently say i devoured it, couldn’t stop thinking about it, and probably won’t forever !

mal_jay's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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