Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

58 reviews

maddb_96's review

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book is very descriptive and really well written. I was super intrigued the whole time and was shook when Rebecca said that they were in Mrs Polk’s house and she was tied up downstairs in the basement. The penultimate chapter felt so chaotic, Eileen was on a mission of trying to impress and pander to Rebecca, whilst Rebecca was on a mission of her own, to get revenge for one of her students… it felt odd that they were clearly on such different pages and as a reader we only get Eileen’s perspective. I needed more context for Rebecca’s character. From this point in the book (the ending) it got a lot worse for me… to introduce such a violent and horrific and upsetting story about what Lee Polk went through at the very end, and treat it with such nonchalance, felt a bit problematic. 

Did Eileen tie up Rebecca and leave her in her dad’s basement? Why did she not leave Mrs Polk in her dad’s house after shooting her and framing her dad for the murder like she planned? Even though we learned so much about Eileen as a person, I still had no idea what her intentions were.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Rape

ankiaisreading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Grief, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Stalking, Torture, Incest, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Vomit

roseknows124's review

dark mysterious 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Alcoholism, Excrement, Murder, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Torture, Death of parent, Vomit, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Violence

giftofthegab's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

An Ottessa Moshfegh 4-star read is a usual 5-star read. Her protagonists are deliciously disturbed and desperate, and nuanced in every way like we all are. 

Unfortunately not a 5-star read like Lapvona and R&R but amazing nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Rape

iamawesome2's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Incest, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Body shaming

um_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

This is me expanding my reading horizons! 🤩
Diving into Ottessa Moshfegh's 'Eileen' was a journey unlike any other, not my preferred genre but was not disappointed. 

At first glance, the narrative seemed deceptively mundane – everyday routines, mundane interactions, nothing out of the ordinary. The juxtaposition of the mundane and the disturbing was jarring, yet strangely mesmerizing, like watching a trainwreck unfold in slow motion.

‘Eileen' left me feeling deeply disturbed yet utterly captivated. It's a testament to Moshfegh's talent that she could take something as mundane as daily life and turn it into something so profoundly unsettling. Eileen is definitely worth a read.

Check your trigger warnings for this book ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Animal death, Chronic illness, Grief, Mental illness, Confinement, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Excrement, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Death

hannaheinhorn's review

dark mysterious 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

2.75

i have mixed feelings about this book. i imagine i’ll like the movie more. eileen is a horrible character, and i’m not sure ottessa moshfegh wrote her in a way that was ethical. for example, eileen has tendencies that some would say are fully pedophilic. she is also fatphobic, which stood out to me a lot, as mrs. polk’s fatness seems to be used as a symbol for cowardice in eileen’s head. her own thinness is thought to redeem her. some parts of eileen are extremely relatable, but others aren’t. i don’t think all virginal 24 year olds drool over young boys. 

there is also the fact that nothing happened in the book until the last 20% of it. i could have just read THAT part and been satisfied. literally the several page fucking soliloquy after THAT part was so useless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Vomit, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Incest, and Kidnapping

Minor: Racism, Ableism, Blood, Sexual harassment, Classism, Gun violence, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

kay4eva's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Murder, Violence, Gore, Vomit, Confinement, Excrement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body horror, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Blood, and Death of parent

xchris_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

amsswim's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.25

I'm not sure really what to say about this. I enjoyed it. This is the second book by the author Ottessa Moshfegh I have read, the other being 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', and just as that one this book is just unhinged. I think this one may be more based in reality but still gave me the feeling of unsettlement. If you like weird things this may be for you. 

I am now very interested in watching the movie they made recently based on this starring Anne Hathaway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Violence, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Addiction, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Incest, Dementia, Vomit, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Animal death, Eating disorder, Gun violence, and Homophobia

Minor: Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Car accident