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A review by ashley_turch
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
sad
slow-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
Definitely a difficult read, kind of in a good way. Make sure you’re in a good mental state. Written from narrator’s POV, so there’s lots of internal reflection of what’s going on inside her head while in a extreme depressive state. I definitely see the benefit of this, but sometimes I just wanted to skip over it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, and Confinement
Minor: Infidelity, Excrement, and Abortion
Content warnings:
Heavy drug abuse and depression (this is the entire plot)
eating disorders
parental death (multiple cases)
9/11
Domestic abuse
animal cruelty (somewhat graphic discussion in the first chapter, but easy to skip over since it’s only about a paragraph. The narrator does not partake in it and instead is just describing something someone else did. Short mentions of the same situation about two more times through the book. Also easy to skip over. As someone who can’t handle really any mention of animal cruelty, I was able over easily and ignore.)