Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Il mio anno di riposo e oblio by Ottessa Moshfegh, Gioia Guerzoni

196 reviews

itsmaren's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Abortion, Cancer, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders

avokaitotoast's review against another edition

reflective relaxing fast-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

3.5

☆ ☆ ☆ (3.5/5)

Short Review (TL;DR):

• Felt very guilty pleasure — not a lot of substance, but enjoyable
• Hated everyone, but also loved to hate them
• Sprinkle of female friendships and mother-daughter relationship analysis

Long Review:
Based on the cover I had expected something a little bit more intellectual or something with a bit more grit: this book was not that. It was, however, a very enjoyable read. 

It has that “guilty pleasure” quality that reminded me of reading The Clique or Gossip Girl in middle school, but for adults: rich people having problems and really not doing anything but developing a pill popping problem about it.

I love an intentionally dislikable main character and this gave me exactly that. Like this girl is so privileged and out of touch with reality. But also, she’s living everyone’s “dream “ right? I don’t know how many times I’ve said something along the lines of “I wish I could sleep for a month” or “I wish I could pause life for a year and just do nothing”.

Also I just enjoy any book that explore female friendships and/or mother-daughter relationships and this gave me a little if that which was nice!

On the ending: The second Reva

got the job at the world trade center

I knew what would happen and I’m so mad about it.

Reva deserved so much more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

tmitsock's review against another edition

dark funny sad medium-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

4.75

I devoured this book in two days. It was brilliantly written. Definitely could be triggering to some. I love Moshfegh’s writing and will definitely read some other work by her. 
It was almost a hypnotic read. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Death, and Confinement

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Abortion

Minor: Fatphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Vomit

sofiax's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Abortion

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

4.0

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 to be edgy). Although depression is a very serious topic, the author portrayed a glamorized lifestyle through the protagonist - instead of pointing out the danger of it. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book. I recommend it to everyone who likes unhinged characters.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Grief

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

kcg_mx's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Vomit, Drug use, Addiction, Cancer, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

genielong's review against another edition

dark 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Vomit, Abortion, and Cancer

cherries_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Addiction, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Animal death, Excrement, Classism, Abortion, and Pregnancy

mentions of 9/11 and terrorism

paperknotbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

Deeply flawed human but such a well crafted voice. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Drug use, Grief, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abortion, and Forced institutionalization

beatrizdizon_'s review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

Ottessa Moshfegh has a hand in concretizing on pages the feeling of emptiness. That incomprehensible, unfathomable, undecipherable feeling. This book consumed me (like MC did with those pills). But honestly, though, the blurb says it all. Don’t expect butterflies and rainbows going into this book. Don’t expect rest and relaxation afterward. Don’t expect a cathartic moment. With every rotting woman is another rotting woman next to her (me). It can never be me though! The pathological people pleaser (Swift 2023) in me cannot handle losing that much control and man did she lose control.

There’s so much to say about MYORAR. The social commentary it touches but it’s not in your face, so it doesn’t sound pretentious. The way our narrator adhered to the very things she criticized. How telling her toxic relationships are, especially with men, about her experiences.

So, I took my time considering if I liked that we readers can predict what will happen to Reva, and I settled on the notion that I do. Maybe it became predictable the moment she had that change, but what matters more is how the narrator reacted in the last chapter which arguably is not predictable. Reva is a star though. Something about her demise juxtaposed with MC’s plan b is poetic in a way.

Moshfegh makes me want to go all “you just don’t get it” type of insufferable. Now my friends and I can be miserable and insufferable together. As if we’re not already doing that. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Moderate: Vomit, Grief, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

Minor: Blood, Classism, Confinement, Death, Pregnancy, Racism, Body shaming, Cancer, Abortion, and Self harm