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fvcc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Pregnancy
macyreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, and Death of parent
babbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Os momentos de total solitude são os meus preferidos, nada está acontecendo, os dias só estão se passando e ela só está vivendo na cabeça dela. Os momentos de longas ações necessárias são tão cansativos pra protagonista quanto pra mim, há uma simpatia pelo desejo de existir da forma mais ínfima possível.
Pela escrita da autora é fácil sentir esse fluxo de sedação ao tempo. E esse fluxo se torna, enfim, apenas a calma de viver a cada segundo que se está acordada.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
savannahmonet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
harm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Why do we read? If we read for enjoyment, this book is not worth our time. Getting through the pages upon pages of mostly aimless narrative was a hard slog with minimal pay-off and a vaguely insulting ending. If we read to learn and to feel, this is still not the book for us. Our beautiful, privileged narrator does not bring anything particularly new, thought-provoking or touching to our attention over her year of wilful dissociation and refusal of help.
As I read My Year of Rest and Relaxation, I found myself growing more and more despondent. At a stretch, I could say that in some ways my mood during this read mirrored the narrator's. Was this Moshfegh's design, to construct an example of "life imitates art" by dragging her readers into a sleep-like state? Or was this book truly just an unpleasant experience?
At the end of the day, I read for enjoyment and I did not enjoy this book. Am I missing something?
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Excrement, and Vomit
Minor: Animal cruelty and Gaslighting
abbiesb_read's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Let’s start with the positive:
I enjoyed the exploration into different sides of depression. We see a main character (the narrator) that is mourning the loss of gaslighting parents and another character (her best friend) that is constantly comparing herself to others.
As someone who struggles with depression and is constantly comparing myself to others, and beating myself up about it, I identify with the narrator’s desire to want to sleep to escape her problems.
On the outside her life looks “perfect” but inside she feels like she’s dying. —she’s a narcissistic, she is selfish, she is rude—her thoughts feel very realistic because I think she thinks what a lot of people (including myself) don’t want to admit that they think.
Now, let’s talk about the negative:
Some of these are simply because certain aspects of this book are not my cup of tea so keep that in mind.
The main character LIES about sexual assault and committing suicide so she can get the affection of a man —I don’t think that this was necessary for the character to do in order to manipulate her toxic on-again off-again boyfriend to fuck her.
I don’t think so. To me, the ending felt rushed and the problems that the main character faces seem to just go away—all it took was her doing some tidying up and she was magically better. this author just slapped a bandaid on the narrator’s problems without the character going through the deep emotional development that she needs in order to be a better person. Her “healing” felt very temporary (I’m pulling from my personal experience here).
I honestly feel very conflicted on how to rate this book. I can’t tell if I dislike it because it’s what the author set out to do or if I hate it because it’s objectively bad.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
bibilde's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship