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A review by jamihoneycutt
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
reflective
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
3.5
Pleas look up trigger warnings for this, because this book is full of them!
This book took me an eternity to get through. I didn’t want to pick it up but felt like I was in too deep to DNF it. Ottessa Moshfegh writes unlikeable characters better than anyone I’ve read and it made for an uncomfortable reading experience at times. Especially given her love of detailed descriptions of excrement. However, the last hundred pages really turned it around for me. I think I just struggle with her pacing, but I’m glad I powered through because there were a few great quotes and reflections in the final pages that I would’ve hated to miss.
This book took me an eternity to get through. I didn’t want to pick it up but felt like I was in too deep to DNF it. Ottessa Moshfegh writes unlikeable characters better than anyone I’ve read and it made for an uncomfortable reading experience at times. Especially given her love of detailed descriptions of excrement. However, the last hundred pages really turned it around for me. I think I just struggle with her pacing, but I’m glad I powered through because there were a few great quotes and reflections in the final pages that I would’ve hated to miss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Incest, and Excrement
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Murder