A review by jentang
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

3.0

this book is popular for very understandable reasons. it is modern with almost tangible characters, yet comedically outlandish. however, this book just didn't inspire me to think very much, despite being an extensive commentary on various mental illnesses and disorders. even as someone who unfortunately found many of the habits present in the book relatable to a fairly large degree, i didn't feel captivation or connection. the book dragged on with so much repetition that, even knowing that this was a purposeful stylistic move, i found myself becoming disinterested. it's a shame, since the few scenes from the book that deviated from the narrator's monotonous lifestyle did actually do something for me, even despite lacking absurdly detailed imagery. i will say that while i was disinterested, i still was gripped enough to the point where i didn't even notice the narrator remained unnamed for the entire book until i had finished reading. there is clearly deeper symbolic meaning behind the narrator's identity being hidden and insignificant, which i do not have the energy to dive into currently, but it still was neat how the author managed to accomplish building such a complete picture of a woman like the narrator, giving her a whole identity missing the name, the piece that usually is the core of any identity. the ending with

reva dying in 9/11

was not my favorite. i get that the scene ties back to waking up, but for the most part it felt out of place and almost lazily done. i wouldn't read this book again, and can't see myself ever really recommending it, but i still am glad that i read it. thank you to dr. tuttle for informing me that people like myself give psychotropic medication a bad reputation.