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

dark reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I would say this is a very silly and lazy way of showing how terrible the thing we call life is. Our protagonist chooses to hibernate for a full year in hopes of healing from the trauma of existing for 20 something years and annihilation 'herself' as she knows it. She wants to be a different person, a new person, a person that she is not disgusted by. She might sound relatable but she isn't a good person. With all the misery and suffering she carries in her heart and mind she still is a privileged narcissist bitch. And this is the story of her trying to sleep her way into a whole year without being conscious. Inspite of her insufferable character, I more than once found myself rooting for her. 

The book is slow paced and not much happens in the story. It's just you[the reader] and painfully honest & unlikable protagonist (which stayed nameless btw). I wouldn't say I liked the book. But I would say I liked the idea of the book. What I liked the most is that it doesn't try to give anyone answers. It's just a scoop of life that doesn't really change when the book ends. However it is not easily forgettable. And my year of rest and relaxation will be a book that I remember whenever I think of sheer meaninglessness and harsh reality of life.
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