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

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

3.75

I liked this book a lot. It's a quick but intense read. The ending really safes this book from being incredibly depressing. Reading I felt similarly tense and down like I did reading the bell jar. Looking into someones problems this deeply and descriptive feels really intense and also at times triggering. I did not expect this book to end the way it did, but I really, really liked it. To me, the realisation, that the narrator is in charge of their own life and nothing is "set out for them " is kind of sweet and - compared to the rest of the protagonists's way of thinking - life-affirming. 
Also: i really enjoyed the way of writing and I will definitely read more Odessa Moshfegh. 
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