Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

30 reviews

lilacwhisker's review

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

Eileen is probably in last place out of the other books by Moshfegh that I’ve read. This is not to say that is was terrible, but not my favorite (which is Death In Her Hands omg loved that). It’s just one of those books where very little happens and the back of the book is kind of misleading. The main problem is really that the twist happens much later in the story than you’d think, and you end up just watching Eileen mope forever. While I was expecting a slow book, I did not expect it to be this slow. It feels like they spend 20 pages talking about the snow and nothing else at some parts. I will say that the crime was interesting and morbid and all that, but it happens in like the last 40 pages of the book!!! I did enjoy reading about Eileen being starstruck by Rebecca (they should have kissed tbh)

and Rebecca’s character cracking at the end when Eileen sort of becomes the cool one. Guess the lesson is you can only be cool when threatening and killing someone??

Anyways, fine read, and I liked her shoplifting + the little fleabag moment at the end with the deer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Addiction, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Stalking, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, Death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Incest and Abortion

bugcollector's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

0.75

At last, I'm done with this book, and it only took me 12 months! 

Eileen starts off funny and cunning. A bit suicidal, but mainly stuck in her place craving an escape:
▫️ "Icicles hung from the rafter over the front door, and I stood there imagining them cracking and darting through my breasts, slicing through the thick gristle of my shoulder like bullets or cleaving my brain into pieces."   (p. 3)
▫️ "If my daydreams from back then cane true, one day I'd have found him splayed out at the bottom of the stairs, neck broken but still breathing. 'It's about time', I'd say with the most bored affect I could master, peering over his dying body." (p. 5)
▫️ "He was a cruel character. Imagining his parents beating him as a child is the only path to forgiveness that I have found so far. It isn't perfect but it does the trick." (p. 6)
▫️ "I could be very dramatic with my self assessments." (p. 8)
▫️ "I imagined what relief I might feel if I could lie on Dr. Frye's couch just once and confess like some sort of fallen hero that my life was simply intolerable. But, in fact it was tolerable. I'd been tolerating it after all." (p. 22) 

As I read on (until about p. 50) Nothing made me want to pick this book again for a long while. I Ended up reading Moshfegh's newest book from this year, Lapnovka, and regretted it dearly, which put me off from this one even more. Determined to cut down my currently reading list before the new year, I found myself working hard to read through it this weekend. 

My problem with Eileen is that she stays stuck in the place for most of the book. Near the very end something interesting happens, but by then you have fallen asleep.
Her routine isn't unique, and there's so much you can read about her hating everything, her repeating that she's a new girl now and those things happened in the past, her saying it's the last time she went to the prison, the last time she saw her father, the last time she saw an icicle drop, yada yada yada.
Eileen ends being relatable relatively fast. She is deeply disterbing, pretty vile, and endulged with some hard topics (Moshpeg loves bringing poop and masterbation to the conversation)

I think the plot sounds promising, centering a young girl seeking an escape. 
But you won't get an escape with it, you'd end up wanting to escape from it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Blood, Sexual violence, Torture, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic friendship, and Violence

katieohara's review

dark mysterious reflective 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

4.25

I think that this book is one of the best examples of a character study that I have read this year. As a native New Englander if also has a certain sense of for lack of a better word, dark charm for me. However, the book is hurtling you to this big bad moment that it hints at, but it just didn’t feel as bad as I was expecting. But honestly I might just be a spoiled reader to used to the horrifying details of murder podcasts and criminal minds. Perhaps what happened is sick enough and the author is making a subtle point that if you are looking for perversion you are no better than the spoiled rich girl not realizing her idealism has consequences.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fatphobia, Death of parent, Classism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Incest, Animal death, Stalking, Murder, Eating disorder, Confinement, Rape, and Alcoholism

edamamebean's review

challenging dark funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Incest, Blood, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Body horror, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Rape, Pedophilia, Gun violence, Excrement, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Drug use, Death of parent, Cursing, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Torture, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Stalking, and Blood

sarahgr's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Child abuse

Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness

toffishay's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

Eileen is such a unique main character. She is horrible and interesting and lonely and sad and I couldn't stop following her. I do wish that the third act happened a little sooner and that we could have followed Eileen more after the action. And the end really did shock me! I really enjoyed this book, it is my favorite so far of Moshfegh's work.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Vomit, and Violence

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Torture, and Confinement

Minor: Sexism, Stalking, Police brutality, Mental illness, Racism, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Classism

justinnn98's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Addiction, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

dealingwithdragons's review

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Addiction, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Torture, Animal death, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Pregnancy, Terminal illness, and Abortion

scarlettreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

My first book of 2022 was Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh! ✨🤍

In 1962, Eileen is a young, twenty something girl, who cares for her unwell, abusive, alcoholic father and works as a secretary in a young boy’s prison. Her mundane life seems to change once she meets Rebecca. Told from Eileen’s perspective 50 years in the future, we find out the events leading up to her disappearance from the town where she grew up. 

This is Ottessa’s debut novel and my first book of hers that I’ve read. I’ve got to say I was slightly disappointed with Eileen. I enjoyed the writing style, and the questionable morals of the characters. However, I felt it became rather repetitious, and for a book that is only 260 pages, it became a bit of a slog to finish. 

Most of the action happens in the last 70 pages, which I flew through. If you’re a lover of a slow burn, this one’s for you. 

I would also like to mention that you definitely need to check the trigger warnings on this, which range from alcoholism, death, incest, child abuse, and sexual assault. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, and Violence

gossipgirl's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Incest, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment