Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Ett år av vila och avkoppling by Alva Dahl, Ottessa Moshfegh

916 reviews

bekaf's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Vomit

anh_read's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

3.25

The main character is unhinged and at times very problematic and insufferable. But as a reader, one could sympathize with her. Some characters were, in my opinion, a bit too exaggerated and too stereotypical, that they lacked any depth or to be even believable. I am aware that Ottessa Moshfegh intended them to be that way since they are merely described form the POV of the protagonist.

The novel gives great insight into the mind of a troubled and depressed person. It also alluded to the overreliance on prescipted drugs and its abuse. One thing I need point out though is that this novel tends to glamorize mental illnesses: as if being depressed was considered as being edgy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Abortion

allysm0llbean's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

calicos's review against another edition

dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Abortion

houseofjules's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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

3.25

Had high hopes for this one, but it extremely average and not a lot happened. Hoping to have a better experience with her other books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

ciiryah's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, Grief, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, and Excrement

shrineofyourlies's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.0

If The Bell Jar was written in 2000/2001. This heroine made me wonder if I had been too hard on Sylvia Plath's Esther. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Mental illness

Moderate: Eating disorder and Toxic friendship

iulia619's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• 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, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

robi_locksley's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

3.75

Very dark, but surprisingly funny. I laughed out loud in public several times while listening to the audiobook. 

Moshfegh perfectly captures the desire to just step into a new life. The deep self-loathing that makes a person desperate to wake up as a new person. 

The desperation of addiction is also written perfectly.

When Riva takes the narrator's pills, the narrator's reaction is extremely accurate to a real addict's. Tearing apart her apartment to find anything, imagining taking the pills to try and satisfy her mind, the willingness to go to any length to get them back, the way that she cannot think of anything else besides her addiction. It's harrowing to read if you've ever experienced addiction yourself or been close to someone who has.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

harley_f's review against another edition

emotional 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

2.5

Feels like a contemporary Catcher in the Rye. Similar to J.D. Salinger's novel I found the side characters much more interesting than our main character.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Toxic friendship