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A review by blue_is_at_sea
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
dark
emotional
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
3.0
I started reading this book because the premise sounded very, very interesting. The idea of sleeping for an entire year? Sign me right up.
I had a bit of a problem getting into the book because I did not like the main character at all. I ended up listening to the audiobook for some portions to get through these hard parts.
As the book went on and we learned more about her, instead of disliking her, I just felt sad about how judgmental she was, and the decisions she made. It was clear she was not facing any of her problems head on, which makes sense if she wants to avoid everything by sleeping for a year. I think this contributes to why I didn’t love the book. I just felt like we never really got to see her emotional state or get to know how she actually felt. This made me feel like it was just a series of events that were described to us, rather than it being something that we experienced along with the main character. It felt slightly surface level. I wish it went a little deeper.
The middle of the book drags on, but it stuck with it because I knew we were moving towards a specific event and I was curious to see how it would be handled in the end. I’m kind of glad we didn’t spend too much time on it in the ending, because that would have been a distracting emotional weight that was unearned. However, I’m still disappointed that even with such a tragic end, we still don’t really get any insight into her emotional state.
Overall, it was a fine read.
I had a bit of a problem getting into the book because I did not like the main character at all. I ended up listening to the audiobook for some portions to get through these hard parts.
As the book went on and we learned more about her, instead of disliking her, I just felt sad about how judgmental she was, and the decisions she made. It was clear she was not facing any of her problems head on, which makes sense if she wants to avoid everything by sleeping for a year. I think this contributes to why I didn’t love the book. I just felt like we never really got to see her emotional state or get to know how she actually felt. This made me feel like it was just a series of events that were described to us, rather than it being something that we experienced along with the main character. It felt slightly surface level. I wish it went a little deeper.
The middle of the book drags on, but it stuck with it because I knew we were moving towards a specific event and I was curious to see how it would be handled in the end. I’m kind of glad we didn’t spend too much time on it in the ending, because that would have been a distracting emotional weight that was unearned. However, I’m still disappointed that even with such a tragic end, we still don’t really get any insight into her emotional state.
Overall, it was a fine read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Body shaming and Classism
Minor: Racism, Vomit, and Racial slurs