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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Not a whole lot happens. She does a ton of reflecting and reminiscing of the past. She describes her day to day in an interesting way but nothing ever major happens until there's only 38 pages left. If you like the show Shameless, I would recommend this book, but don't expect nearly as many things to happen.
Moshfegh writes deeply flawed and unlikeable characters extremely well
dark
tense
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
this felt like a darker, slower pizza girl. i did not enjoy pizza girl.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Rape
i don't care if you're unwell why would you rub pubes on your face
A decent exhibitionist character study, but unfortunately, I found it slow and dull
At times darkly funny, this book and its narrator often inspire pity and disgust. An excellent use of first person narration to display a deeply flawed and psychologically troubled narrator. Some really wonderful prose throughout the novel which becomes a real page turner by the end. I enjoyed Moshfegh’s writing and will likely return to her work in 2022.
“i wasn’t radical at all. i was simply unhappy.”
“i wondered what sort of ecstasy was to be had without shame to incite it.”
set against a fittingly angsty winter new england backdrop, eileen is an impressive character study of a woman who is desperately insecure and unhappy. the book is told through the lens of her older self, a narrator who will make you wonder whether she is pragmatically self-aware, sneakily unreliable, or both.
eileen as a character is dirty, perverse, self-obsessed, stubborn, and deeply repressed. there are a lot of things to dislike about her, but because of her gross (both the blatant and repulsive kind), unflinching honesty and genuine desire to be loved, i find her charming, sympathetic, and hilarious.
i will say i was confused about what the story was going to be. what i thought was exposition and set up ended up being about 75% of the book. in hindsight i enjoyed the anticipation, so not necessarily complaining, but i wish i didn’t spend the whole book waiting for the story to “start”.
“i wondered what sort of ecstasy was to be had without shame to incite it.”
set against a fittingly angsty winter new england backdrop, eileen is an impressive character study of a woman who is desperately insecure and unhappy. the book is told through the lens of her older self, a narrator who will make you wonder whether she is pragmatically self-aware, sneakily unreliable, or both.
eileen as a character is dirty, perverse, self-obsessed, stubborn, and deeply repressed. there are a lot of things to dislike about her, but because of her gross (both the blatant and repulsive kind), unflinching honesty and genuine desire to be loved, i find her charming, sympathetic, and hilarious.
i will say i was confused about what the story was going to be. what i thought was exposition and set up ended up being about 75% of the book. in hindsight i enjoyed the anticipation, so not necessarily complaining, but i wish i didn’t spend the whole book waiting for the story to “start”.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eileen is a little pee pee poo poo freak and I don’t know how they’re going to cull enough Anne Hathaway content to turn this into a movie.
Edit: I amended my rating to 5 stars because I can’t stop thinking about this stupid book.
Edit: I amended my rating to 5 stars because I can’t stop thinking about this stupid book.