Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Eileen

Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

127 reviews

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

i liked this a lot more than i thought i would! as usual, i loved moshfegh’s writing style and style of storytelling. i think she laid out the setting very well. once again, she utilized an unlikable character as her protagonist, but this one was much easier to “put up with,” so to say, compared to the protagonist in mcglue. there was this minute feeling of boredom i felt throughout the entire novel, and i caught my mind drifting every once in a while. though that seems to be a trend with moshfegh’s novels due to how she likes to dwell on certain things, similar to the “violet prose” style often seen in classics. the ending was kind of disappointing as well? though i’m not sure what i expected or what could’ve been done differently for me to feel satisfied.

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bananastasia's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I have read two other Otessa Moshfegh books (Lapvona and My Year of Rest and Relaxation) before this one, so I had a good idea of what I was getting into when picking up Eileen. I imagine her other books are similar in writing style, so if you like dark, moody and primarily character-driven stories, I would highly recommend this book!

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juliabristow's review

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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

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leic01's review

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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

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hurlyburlywitch's review against another edition

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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.

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minimicropup's review against another edition

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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.

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🐺 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.

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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 ✨”

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rachaelwho's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

I didn't enjoy it but it was quite good. I saw someone call it "Carol for psychos" and honestly that's not too far off. Not quite as boring as Carol, but not lively, either. A very good character study. Not quite my cup of tea.

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