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juliabristow's review
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
Overall I enjoyed this, though I think the pacing could've been better balanced and the phrase "this would be my last day in X-ville" was WAY overused. But I think the characters are really well done, and I would call this more of a fun/fluff read as opposed to something that'll stick with me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Moderate: Pedophilia and Rape
Minor: Gun violence
leic01's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Body shaming
Moderate: Rape, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Sexual content
aedinnx's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Alcoholism, Vomit, and Excrement
kmcgraw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
I felt at times it was slow and repetitive but I was truly enthralled from the beginning. I read this in two days and couldn’t put it down. Deals with very dark/heavy themes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Incest, Murder, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Excrement, Suicide, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Fatphobia, and Eating disorder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Abortion, and Police brutality
riotgrrrl92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.25
Ottessa Moshfegh lets us into the minds of people we would never want to get to know in real life. Her narrators are fascinating, horrible, darkly satirical, and sometimes relatable in very shameful ways. In fact, I think shame is the main theme of this book. I typically don’t like slow-paced novels but every sentence of this book kept me hooked. Eileen’s inner world is twisted and disturbing, making even the most mundane tasks a freakish horror. I love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Incest, Eating disorder, Excrement, and Vomit
Moderate: Medical content, Rape, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
libellumartinae's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
2.5
My main problem with this book is the pace. Nothing - LITERALLY NOTHING - happens through the first page and in the last two chapters everything goes down, which might have been interesting as the previous chapters depict Eileen's life but ugh, was it just plain boring. and the plot-twist? not that impressive. Certainly doesn't make up for the whole waiting.
Still, I love the way that Moshfeg just write something like so unhinged and yet so close to the truth. She hangs onto the line of 'what if we just listened and did what that dark part in us tell us so?'. And it's strangely cathartic. STILL, it was plain boring and badly paced.
Still, I love the way that Moshfeg just write something like so unhinged and yet so close to the truth. She hangs onto the line of 'what if we just listened and did what that dark part in us tell us so?'. And it's strangely cathartic. STILL, it was plain boring and badly paced.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death of parent, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Drug abuse, and Vomit
hurlyburlywitch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.25
Being told from the perspective of an older, wiser self is always an interesting framing. That being said, Eileen's self loathing is both pathetic and all-consuming, as well as contagious. I found that I loathed both her and myself, both for judging her and for the parts of myself that were emboldened by her own flaws and self loathing.
The eventual pay off was rewarding, but it felt like it was a real slog getting there followed by a manic dash to the finish.
The eventual pay off was rewarding, but it felt like it was a real slog getting there followed by a manic dash to the finish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, and Alcoholism
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
Setting the Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in a New England town in 1964
POV: We follow our main character in their fifties, recalled their childhood and early adulthood experiences from the 1960s.
Mood Reading Match-Up:
-Autobiographical character study
-Unhinged obsessive female characters with 1960s vibes that could be nostalgic
-Literary psychological horror ick and cringe
-Themes of obsession, repression, arrested development, growing up, hope, abuse, injustice, revenge, disillusionment, and anger.
----
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕
🗣️ Tale-Telling: The first-person narrative was like a direct conversation with the reader. Eileen is sharing her life story with us, complete with reflective observations and raw honesty. The audio narrator embodied Eileen perfectly. I was able to multitask without zoning out and looked forward to getting back to the story. It felt like I was listening to an actual memoir.
👥 Characters: This is my favourite kind of character study and hard to find. Eileen was not a likeable character, but she was so compelling right from the start and she feels so much like a real person. She’s an outcast living with her alcoholic and abusive father – socially anxious, self-conscious, repressed, and without much hope for the future. Even when she grossed me out or did terrible things, I couldn’t bring myself to fully dislike her.
🗺️ Ambiance: The settings are atmospheric, capturing the essence of the 1960s in a natural, cinematic way. From the cars to the work environment, it was like stepping in to a different era.
🔥 Fuel: The story is driven by a psychological slow-building suspense. As the reader we are often questioning our feelings towards Eileen. Should we sympathize, be disgusted, root for her, or root for her downfall? All four? It was the perfect mix of moral and emotional dilemmas. Gradually we get mystery surrounding a new person at her work and what's up with their strange behaviour - which we aren't sure is real or just Eileen's growing obsession making her infer meanings that aren't there.
🎬 Scenes: The pacing was steady slow burn. It kept me hooked with its introspective nature and having no idea where the story was going, as Eileen becomes increasingly agitated. The scenes are cringe-inducing in the best way. We’re a fly on the wall, witnessing all the second-hand embarrassment, but it never felt cringe-for-the-sake-of-cringe or gratuitous.
🤓 Random Thoughts: The only disappointment for me was the ending – I liked the concept of the ending making us question what we may have thought of Eileen all along, but it felt so rushed and almost random. I was glad it wasn’t a lazy or contrived ending at least. Now that I write this, I realize I may have just been disappointed that the story was over.
----
Content Heads-Up: Alcoholism. Loss of a parent. Emotional abuse (familial). Loneliness, anxiety, intrusive thoughts. Sexual content (ruminating, fantasizing). Rape (fantasies, topic). Obsession. Sexual slurs. Lesbophobia (historical). Dementia. Death of a pet (on page; grief). Body fluids.
Rep: White American. Cis-gender.
👀 Format: Listened to on Everand Audio
“Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI bookworm bestie ✨”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Sexual content, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, and Rape
emilyrosebooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.0
I am giving this 3 stars because the writing is really wonderful, it is creepy and bold. However it is very very slow. I enjoyed the perspective of the narrator as the main character in her now 70s looking back and telling the story of herself at age 24. The main character, Eileen, is NOT lovable, especially not in her youth, but she is the sort of disaster you can't look away from. I do wish the book started with the sentence, "This is the story of how I disappeared" or something along those lines because it felt directionless for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Murder, Incest, and Emotional abuse
hallelizak's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Gun violence, Rape, and Alcoholism