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

4.0

I really enjoyed the central narrative conceit here. The way the narrator’s primary antagonist is herself, the alternate self she (along with we the readers!) has no conscious access to who is rebelling against her attempts to smother her own consciousness long-term through sedative drugs. It’s a very smart way to take a character whose sole desire is to lie in bed doing nothing and give her not just a plot but a genuinely thrilling and believable one.

I don’t give a shit about whatever clever satire Ms Moshfegh thinks she’s up to–rich assholes in Manhattan are “bad” yeah whatever–but I very much enjoyed my time with this particular asshole. Uncertain whether this will translate into any of her other books being good but I’ll probably try at some point