Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - 내 휴식과 이완의 해

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

내 휴식과 이완의 해 by Ottessa Moshfegh

338 reviews

catsandbeets's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad 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? Yes

2.5

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tadiwa_e's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

5.0

In “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” the MCs complex relationships, both with her best friend and toxic ex-boyfriend, create a captivating tapestry of human experience. As she seeks solace in sleep, the toxic dynamics with her ex-boyfriend expose the depths of her vulnerability and lack of self-esteem. Simultaneously, her friendship weaves through the narrative, providing moments of support and contrast to the darker aspects of her life. The author fearlessly explores the intricacies of human connections, making this a riveting journey through pleasure, pain, and self-discovery. 5 stars for its unflinching portrayal of relationships and the quest for healing.

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baylee_grace's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Unreliable narrator who isn't really a good person yet you sympathize with her. The descriptions of her thoughts and feelings are extremely raw and honest, you can't help but relate to them.

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aywebster'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? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

My official rating of this book would be 2 1/2 stars out of 5 because I did not actively hate or dislike reading it, but I also did not find myself actually enjoying it until around the last 100 pages. While I haven’t read or watched a lot of reviews for the book (to avoid what was a terribly predictable spoiler that I’d guessed upon starting it); I can totally understand why readers would deem the “payoff” unworthy of persevering through the boredom and un-like-ability of the main character.

Would I recommend this? I guess so, if you don’t mind an unlikeable, unreliable, almost Patrick Bateman-type of main character (without the murder and with the satire level turned way down). Around the two-thirds mark, I had a realization which I had to stop and say to myself- this is very similar to the movie Donnie Darko! If you like that movie, read this book and get back to me about my loose comparison.

:::::::::::::::SPOILERS AHEAD:::::::::::::::

This brings me to my next point- I knew this would be a 9/11 book from the moment I read that it takes place in 2000-2001. I pointed it out to my husband every time the World Trade Center was mentioned and every time, I was met with “that’s just a red herring- the author can’t be that lazy.” To be clear, I don’t believe this was a completely lazy direction to take- but I can’t help but think about Remember Me’s twist 9/11 ending. I will say that I wasn’t completely correct in my predictions, though- I assumed Trevor would die too, MC would lose all hope and die the same way her mother did.

I guess I’m glad that I didn’t give up on this book because I always like to see even the least sympathetic characters find redemption, though it was in the most rich, white, fictional way possible. I’m still unsure of whether I believe that was satirical or not.

I’m just glad I got to see what all the hype/hate was about. I’ve seen this on a list of “red flag books” and I’ve yet to figure out why it’s a red flag- there’s nothing terribly shocking or gut wrenching- to me it’s mostly boring rich white people stuff.

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scarfires's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

evelyns's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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breedee95'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
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Woah. Didn’t think I could dislike a character more! This story follows our grieving and depressed narrator as she embarks on a really unhealthy journey of sleeping for an entire year. The idea is that this rest will allow her to disappear completely and emerge as a new and improved person. Explores themes of death and addiction.

Content Warnings