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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
Moshfegh is an amazingly talented writer and these stories were quite enjoyable. I appreciate the cynicism and resignation.
Moshfegh is an amazingly talented writer and these stories were quite enjoyable. I appreciate the cynicism and resignation.
[1st read from 4/3/2023 to 19/3/2023] — 2.75⭐️
— by now i have figured out that moshfegh is either a hit or a miss for me and… as seeing from this ranking, you can get what this one was
— by now i have figured out that moshfegh is either a hit or a miss for me and… as seeing from this ranking, you can get what this one was
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm both obsessed and repulsed by Ottessa's writing always. I read MYORAR first and then Eileen and this is my third read of Moshfegh's so I knew a bit of what to expect with her inclination for unlikable characters with a bit of a perverse, self-loathing, misanthropic tendencies, but I absolutely loved this collection because she doesn't shy away from showing people at their worst, all their most selfish instincts, and I think there is a great sense of feeling like an outsider for all these characters-- and therefore homesick for another world. Bettering Myself, Slumming, and The Beach Boy were some of my favorites, and it's so interesting having read her other work that I can see bits of the characters for her novels in these characters. Moshfegh doesn't back down from the grotesque; she makes you cringe and may even trigger your gag reflex. Yet there's something compelling about all this for me. Maybe it's the shock factor? Or the comfort in knowing that people can be horrible and weird and therefore comparing yourself to knowing you're not so bad. There's also an element of nonconformity that feels like it indicts society for our ideas of normalcy. By far one of my favorite short story collections I've read this year.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"A better place" is brilliant. Its own genre of brilliant.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
These short stories were very compelling, even when not much was really happening plot-wise, because of how twisted & pitiful & odd the characters were. It was disturbing in an almost funny way. I audibly said “what the?!?” at least once per story. These characters are UNWELL.
i adored my year of rest and relaxation so i had high hopes for this collection, but unfortunately i’m quite disappointed :( i rated most of the stories 2 stars, and only a couple really made an impression on me - the final story, a better place, is the only one i rated 5 stars
there were far more slurs than i was expecting, which definitely took away from my enjoyment and made already unlikeable characters even more detestable. i’m all for complex and morally grey characters, but many of the characters in these stories had zero redeeming qualities
there was also a blatant effort to shock/disgust the reader, à la chuck palahniuck - but these stories lacked palahniuk’s depth, and the depth i was expecting after reading and loving my year of r+r
overall, most of the stories were forgettable and i rarely found myself caring about what happened to the characters since i disliked them so much. many of the stories also felt incomplete, though that may be typical for a short story collection
there were far more slurs than i was expecting, which definitely took away from my enjoyment and made already unlikeable characters even more detestable. i’m all for complex and morally grey characters, but many of the characters in these stories had zero redeeming qualities
there was also a blatant effort to shock/disgust the reader, à la chuck palahniuck - but these stories lacked palahniuk’s depth, and the depth i was expecting after reading and loving my year of r+r
overall, most of the stories were forgettable and i rarely found myself caring about what happened to the characters since i disliked them so much. many of the stories also felt incomplete, though that may be typical for a short story collection
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finished the majority of this book during my road trip to Martha’s Vineyard. And something I realized, is that although I don’t gain much in an intellectual sense from Moshfegh’s writing, there is something beautiful about how she writes about the wants and desires of ordinary people. Ordinary people have aspects to them that are disgusting and unlikable, just like everyone, and it’s interesting to see how she writes about that. And how someone can be unlikable and disgusting, but still human like yourself. I think I would have a lot to say about this book if I did some deeper work on understanding the text and wasn’t currently half awake.
I think this book has a lot to offer for someone who is doing literary analysis work and wants to dig deep. But also, for someone who is going in and out of sleep while on a road trip, these stories were entertaining and interesting.
I think this book has a lot to offer for someone who is doing literary analysis work and wants to dig deep. But also, for someone who is going in and out of sleep while on a road trip, these stories were entertaining and interesting.