Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

내 휴식과 이완의 해 by Ottessa Moshfegh

87 reviews

yogomagpie's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

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

4.0

This was such a strange experience but I enjoyed it. There wasn’t really a plot, and if I were to explain this book to someone I don’t know what I would say other than “a young woman (unnamed) decides she wants to sleep for a year and we get to observe it.” The ending was abrupt but I guess that is fine for a book with minimal plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Excrement, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Abortion

marciafelis's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective 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

4.0

This book was quite the experience. From chuckling at Dr Tuttle's unreasonable prescriptions and advice to the uneasiness when some of the issues depicted in the book hit a little too close to home, it manages not to be boring despite the fact that not a lot of things actually happen.

There's an artist in the book, Ping Xi, whose work divides critics who either think it's genius or pretentious junk. I can't help but feel that character is a sort of prescient reference to the book's own reception, whether that was the author's intention or not.

I'm not sure whether I'll ever want to reread the book, but I certainly don't regret the time I spent reading it the first time around.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, and Grief

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Classism, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a super quick read and definitely spoke to my inner born and raised New Yorker millennial ennui. I loved the way it played with the humor that peppered the literal and figurative darkness.

My only grip, as a born and raised New Yorker, is the usage of 9/11 at the end. I’m not precious about representations of that day, I just found its usage a bit lazy in its shorthand for emotional impact.

I think the story easily could’ve existed without it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Mental illness

avocadotoastbee's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I absolutely loved the book!  couldn't put the book down, even though it became predictable at the end.
The plot was bizarre, but comforting as it was about a woman who hibernates for a year. The main character does what I, being the lazy person that I am, have always wanted to do - sleep my life away. Overall, the nameless narrator and all the other characters are not likable. They are all in their own way flawed. This gives the reader the distance needed to focus on what is happening. And even though the plot description makes it sound like nothing much happens, the story does take some eventful turns. My Year of Rest and Relaxation portrays depression and society at the turn of the century/early 2000s accurately. But it was not entirely depressing to read. At times it was even funny.
All in all, I really enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation and would read it again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Mental illness, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Infidelity, Medical trauma, Excrement, and Suicide attempt

maryjohnstone's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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

3.25

I appreciated the in-depth examination of depression and how it can affect people. Even the main character, a wealthy, beautiful and privileged woman, can be a victim of depression. The story had no plot or structure, which was a clear representation of how depression can make our story go around in circles, never leading anywhere. 
However, I felt this book was striving to be overly clever. I felt frustrated throughout that there was so little substance and I cannot tell you much of what occurred in this book other than the shock factor scenes that felt imbalanced to the rest of the book. 
The characterisation of the female lead was interesting as well as I felt both pity for her but angry at her. But as the book went on, I liked her less and less. I felt the ending was supposed to make me feel happy for her development but I felt that I was an inaccurate portrait of battling mental illness for most people. But then again are we meant to relate to a stunning, rich, privileged, orphaned woman who lives in New York?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit

Minor: Abortion, Excrement, and Suicidal thoughts

kt2e56's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• 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

2.0

Ugh. First of all, it’s not hard to “get” what’s happening with this book. Just like American Psycho, which this book reminded me of quite a bit, My Year of Rest & Relaxation is unbelievably shallow. So me not liking it doesn’t mean it went over my head. I just didn’t like the book.

I know the author has been on a crusade about how it’s sexist to not like a book with unlikable female characters but it’s not that I don’t like books about unlikable women, I like well-written books about unlikable women. The nameless main character is boring. She just is. She’s racist and nasty and cruel but above all, just so fucking boring. And the author is boring. We get it: somehow despite not showering for weeks, having crusted up eyes, toothpaste all over her face, and god knows what else…everyone is bending over backwards to let the main character know that she’s still just so beautiful and perfect and nobody could ever be thinner or prettier. My god. Find something less cliche.

What was I’m assuming supposed to be some big shocking reveal at the end about Reva dying in 9/11, I literally predicted when I was 22% of the way into the book. So not really that shocking. Just another cliched attempt at controversy.

I did give this one whole extra star for the spot on critiques about the art world. I thought that was genuinely funny and satirical. Ditto for the author’s description of Long Island (I live one town over from Farmingdale in Massapequa. Lol.) which I found pretty funny. Otherwise? Meh. I don’t take Infermiterol but I’m sure I’ll forget this book in three days.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mental illness, Grief, Body shaming, Body horror, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Excrement

marjoleinvanderspoel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

4.5

When I started this book, I was sure I hated it. It gave me such sex and the city and internalised misogyny vibes, and i really wasnt in the mood for it. So i put it down, and picked it up again a few weeks later. I was hooked. Sure, the main character is elitist and horrible, but she's also so relatable. I wish I could also go to sleep for a year and wake up with a new zest for life. I know this isn't supposed to be ~goals~ but it literally is. What does that say about our horrible, capitalist,  "meritocratic" society?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Vomit, and Xenophobia

Minor: Excrement and Animal cruelty

bitterseason's review against another edition

dark funny reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Death, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Excrement, and Ableism

bookishlittleme's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

4.0

I found the writing extremely fluid much like a thought process which is exactly what it is coming from the unnamed character serving as the narrator. The narrator is extremely unlikeable but incredibly human; she has a bunch of trauma

(the death of her father from cancer, her relationship with her mother who committed suicide, as well as a destructive on and off relationship with her ex boyfriend, and more)

from her past, this doesn't make me want to like her or excuse any of her behaviour and the way she treats and manipulates the people in her life. She is also extremely self aware making her even more unlikable. This novel explores privilege especially with our narrator was not the rich, conventionally attractive, blonde, young woman without many responsibilities her year of hibernation

(which in the end works out for her and she ends up having a renaissance of feelings about life)

wouldn't have happened and the alternative would be very different. I would say it's worth a read if it's been on your list but definitely check your content warnings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Vomit, Mental illness, and Classism

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Suicide, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Excrement, Abortion, Xenophobia, and Ableism

_renee_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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

5.0

None of the characters in this book are supposed to be loved. This book is a hyperbolic satire on Americas self proclaimed high society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abortion, Abandonment, Addiction, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Xenophobia