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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
Madness in a small town
There's a good little novel here but not much contrast. Everyone is dislikeable and brutish and slightly crazy. Nothing much happens and the obligatory wildlife encounter is wedged in to bring closure.
There's a good little novel here but not much contrast. Everyone is dislikeable and brutish and slightly crazy. Nothing much happens and the obligatory wildlife encounter is wedged in to bring closure.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did enjoy the dreary emotional landscape of the novel. I did however wish the plot were more curly and convoluted - but I suspect that's not really what the author was trying to do with this novel. So I do think it delivered on the dingy and depressing vibes front.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Subject matter was too dark for me, the twist in the book was unexpected though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Want something warm and fuzzy? This ain't it! From the very first page, this debut novel has a dark and foreboding feel, a sense of evil lurking just around the next page. You have to keep turning the pages to get there, though, because nothing much happens until three-quarters of the way through. It's all atmospheric buildup, relying on Moshfegh's cutting prose to keep it tense.
Eileen is 24 years old. She's miserable and alone, a virgin with no friends. She's living in a filthy house with her demented father, a former cop who never misses an opportunity to tear her down, and working for a cruel warden in a boys' prison. She feels ugly and invisible.
Told from the vantage point of an older and much wiser 70-year-old Eileen, this is the story of how one unexpected event changes the entire course of Eileen's life.
I heard about this novel from a Twitter thread on novels with unlikeable heroines. Eileen is not as unlikeable as the protagonist of [b:Animal|55711559|Animal|Lisa Taddeo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623264432l/55711559._SX50_.jpg|65558173], another book on that list that I read, but she's certainly not relatable. She's not evil, but with no compassion having ever been afforded her, she's entirely cold and devoid of empathy. She hides her complex feelings of rage and self-loathing behind a placid exterior, a "death mask."
I'm still not sure what to make of this novel. But it's original. And unsettling. And not one I think I will soon forget.
Eileen is 24 years old. She's miserable and alone, a virgin with no friends. She's living in a filthy house with her demented father, a former cop who never misses an opportunity to tear her down, and working for a cruel warden in a boys' prison. She feels ugly and invisible.
Told from the vantage point of an older and much wiser 70-year-old Eileen, this is the story of how one unexpected event changes the entire course of Eileen's life.
I heard about this novel from a Twitter thread on novels with unlikeable heroines. Eileen is not as unlikeable as the protagonist of [b:Animal|55711559|Animal|Lisa Taddeo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623264432l/55711559._SX50_.jpg|65558173], another book on that list that I read, but she's certainly not relatable. She's not evil, but with no compassion having ever been afforded her, she's entirely cold and devoid of empathy. She hides her complex feelings of rage and self-loathing behind a placid exterior, a "death mask."
I'm still not sure what to make of this novel. But it's original. And unsettling. And not one I think I will soon forget.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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
A wild read from start to finish. Almost exciting in a perverse way.
"I was the only one whose pain was real. Mine."
Eileen is a horrible character. Not even the narrator likes her, but I guess we all think poorly of our past selves. However she's also a character that I unfortunately related to at times. Struggling with connection.
"Believing that a friend is someone who loves you, and that love is the willingness to do anything, sacrifice anything for the other's happiness, left me with an impossible ideal"
"I was the only one whose pain was real. Mine."
Eileen is a horrible character. Not even the narrator likes her, but I guess we all think poorly of our past selves. However she's also a character that I unfortunately related to at times. Struggling with connection.
"Believing that a friend is someone who loves you, and that love is the willingness to do anything, sacrifice anything for the other's happiness, left me with an impossible ideal"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Murder
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Violence
I get that our main character is a bad person and that this is a subversion of the traditional man in literature by positing him as a woman, but GOD she was insufferable