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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was very easy to follow and I liked that it was from the point of the view of the narrator in their older age but they were 24 at the time of the story being told. I like that we got to know the characters through her perspective.
I really, really, really liked this one, although it's hugely in the "not for everyone" category. The plot is thin and kind of dopey but as a character study I thought it was fantastic. I really don't even want to admit how much I could relate to it; not so much on a literal level but in a lot of ways, I just really got her. 4 1/2, but there aren't a lot of people I'd recommend it to.
75% world building observations and then 25% WTF. Loved it. Would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, Murder
a fairly slow paced character driven book. moshfeghs writing is very raw and i think it worked really well in this book. It had me shocked and laughing at times. I also loved the direction this book went it and i definitely didn’t expect it! definitely a book that won’t be for everyone but i really enjoyed it!
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
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
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm having a hard time landing on a rating for this book. I thought it was well written, and it was an interesting character study of Eileen. However, it was very long winded and repetitive with Eileen's eccentricities, disgusting habits, and relationship with her father. A mysterious event with Rebecca keeps getting hinted at, but it doesn't happen until the last 30 pages of the book. And the event is a huge jump in my opinion, seeing as how the reader was barely introduced to the real Rebecca, so her motivations for tying up Mrs. Polk and forcing a confession out of her didn't make much sense at all. Moshfegh tries to say it's her privilege and entitlement, but that doesn't fully add up to me. What Eileen ended up doing made complete sense, but the event as a whole was a pretty big letdown for me. I ended the book feeling disappointed and bummed that I slogged through this continuing to hope it would get better and live up to the hype and that unfortunately never happening.
If I could give this book no stars then I would but that's not an option. The marketing for this book is entirely misleading especially the blurb that announces how vile and enthralling it is. I think my copy also has a blurb calling it a psychological thriller/ horror?
Pfft.
I slogged through this book. The writing wasn't spectacular enough to mask the gigantic hole there was from the complete and utter absence of a plot. I understand that Eileen is supposed to be an unlikable character. The whole book is supposed to be a character study of her. I honestly understand that. My problem is how repetitive it was. It went on and on about the same things over and over again.
About her leaving. About her father's drinking. About her "bestie" Rebecca being the only saving grace. Blah blah blah
I could not care enough. I'm upset that I spent so much energy waiting for the book to get good or even a little bit engaging. The ending fell so flat, I think it broke my heart for having had any expectations at all.
I do not understand the hype. I'm sure it was probably the marketing that misled me to believe this book was something that it clearly was not. But I can't in good faith recommend or gather the desire to indulge in the hype the author's books have garnered for now. Maybe someday I'll have the big brain energy to, for now my uneducated butt is gonna chill and read books for small brained homo sapiens.
Pfft.
I slogged through this book. The writing wasn't spectacular enough to mask the gigantic hole there was from the complete and utter absence of a plot. I understand that Eileen is supposed to be an unlikable character. The whole book is supposed to be a character study of her. I honestly understand that. My problem is how repetitive it was. It went on and on about the same things over and over again.
About her leaving. About her father's drinking. About her "bestie" Rebecca being the only saving grace. Blah blah blah
I could not care enough. I'm upset that I spent so much energy waiting for the book to get good or even a little bit engaging. The ending fell so flat, I think it broke my heart for having had any expectations at all.
I do not understand the hype. I'm sure it was probably the marketing that misled me to believe this book was something that it clearly was not. But I can't in good faith recommend or gather the desire to indulge in the hype the author's books have garnered for now. Maybe someday I'll have the big brain energy to, for now my uneducated butt is gonna chill and read books for small brained homo sapiens.
dark
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Faded and stiff now, I carried it around for years and I've cried over it many tims It's the map of my childhood, my sadness, my Eden, my hell and home. When I look at it now, my heart swells with gratitude, then shrinks with disgust."
This year, I have set myself on the mission to read multiple books by authors I have some interest in and see if I can find so more auto-reads. For January and Febuary, the author I decided to tackle was Ottessa Moshfegh. Last year I read one of her first novella's, McGlue, and absolutely despised it. But one of my main enjoyments of the book was her writing, so I was hopping it was just first book flops and went along to read Eileen.
In this novel, we follow a misreable young lady stuck in her small town with her terrible father. And over the course of this week, she will do something that will lead to her disappearing.
I had a pretty good time with this book. Moshfegh is a very talented writer in my eyes with a style that I can tell will be copied for in due time. She's unflitching against the gross and darkness of humanity—she actually turns into it. She has a strong way of making you fall into the head of the protagonist and stick with them through their downs and downs and small ups and another down. I was hooked to see what happened with Eileen and what will actually push her to the edge. I do not have any real plot critiques but I will warn people that this is very character driven. The ending, in my eyes, was just the right amount of shocking for what I expected of the book and loved how each day built more on the fact she was about to leave.
But in regards to the filth that Moshfegh writes, I believe that she can go too far at times to the point. Not even me just being sensitive to it all, but some of the gross things—digusting or immoral—felt like just nothing to me.
Also I want to have a conversation with Ms. Moshfegh and ask her does she choose the time period of her books by which time period it would be okay to ridicule certain groups. Like, first with McGlue a gay man pissed her off and with Eileen, it was some plus sized woman. The way their bodies were described was very gross and dehumanizing a lot of the time. And I don't even hate it because it's offensive—Eileen isn't a good person and it makes sense with her own issues she would not like fat people. It' just feels like, once again, she overdoes it to the point it's comical and then tiring. Like girl, there are other ways to get out your frustration then to call marginalized groups terrible names in your books girl.
Overall, I find this novel find the novel good. I believe that Moshfegh will benefit from lowering the amount of nastiness in her books to focus on the quality of it. I also don't see this novel leaving much of an impact on me for long, which is why I have to give it-
Final Score: 7.10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Racial slurs