Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

23 reviews

eib_21's review against another edition

challenging reflective 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

clairemarie00's review against another edition

dark reflective tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Cancer, Body shaming, Addiction, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Mental illness, and Drug use

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

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

suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

4.0

i had been putting off reading this book for a few months now because i heard lots of mixed reviews— mainly that it’s a book white women love and people of color do not love so much. however the waifspo lana del rey coquettes broke me— i could no longer repress my inner desires to read the book so i caved.  

the book follows an unnamed narrator in her journey to “rebirth” herself. she does this by turning to cosmetic psychopharmacology with the help of a pretty sus psychiatrist. in this book, we only ever see her focus on three people: dr tuttle, trevor, and reva. there are others in the story who become more prominent, but the majority of the novel revolves around those three. all in all, i have a love hate relationship with the book— but i certainly liked it more than not. the message of the book isn’t clouded in a sea of metaphors (good thing!) and it’s funny at some moments, disturbing at others. the amount of times the narrator speaks on being skinny i could see as triggering for some, and the casual racism and stereotyping was 1000% not needed to show that the characters are bad people (it’s always unnecessary, i promise you). is it revolutionary? no. is it interesting? yeah, if you can get through it. will i read it again? most likely no. i hate to compare books, but is this book the “modern The Bell Jar”? not at all. so….yeah 4/5. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Mental illness

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Racism and Xenophobia

jneverreads's review against another edition

dark sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Cancer

lauren176's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Suicide, Mental illness, War, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Addiction, and Eating disorder

nialiversuch's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Self harm, Addiction, Confinement, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Sexual content, Cursing, Cancer, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Vomit, and Animal death

Minor: Rape, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

burnyayhayley's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

 I have... a lot of feelings to process. 

A consistent piece of feedback I am seeing in reviews of this book is about how the middle of it dragged, and I totally agree. Though it is easily arguable— given the focus of this book— that a human attempting to hibernate would eventually become a bit of a repetitive and tedious narrative to recount. It was bound to drag a little; what do you say about someone sleeping all the time?

Another thing I have seen in reviews is a statement that the ending is too rushed, but I beg to differ. The ending is differently paced, yes, and faster than the middle, for sure, but this reminded me of the feeling of waking up from a nap and there is still a whole afternoon and evening ahead of you and you kind of feel like everything is moving too fast. That head-rush of the waking world I think was mirrored in this last bit of the book, and to great effect. It fits, for me, that after this long spent drugging herself and sleeping on a couch (or wherever she was), everything would seem fast and bright and weird. 

Also, given that this book is set in 2000/2001, I was definitely waiting for the 9/11 moment, and given that we were told two of the people in the unnamed protagonist's life were working in the towers, the ending was not a total surprise. But I do give large credit to the beauty and slight obscurity of the very last image. Absolutely stunning.

Ok but also how did I only just realize that the protagonist doesn't have a name? That is usually something I would notice—makes it all the more unsettling, as it easily pulls the reader into her position. 
Anyway, this book is darkly funny but also mildly upsetting, so please check the content warnings before venturing in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Blood, Abortion, War, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual content, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Misogyny, Mental illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder