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A review by pratyush
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
February 2023
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First reread was as fun and exciting as the first time I read that book. Chose to review this book as my class assignment for the book review, and I am yet to submit it, hehe. And yep, reread really helps as to find certain themes which I had missed during my first reading. Nothing's changed, it's still a bizzare one.
February 2023 starting
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While updating for a reread for this book, somehow, my previous post got deleted. I HATE you Goodreads!!
May 2022
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Okay. So when I said I understood this book, at the same time I didn't understand it either. Yet I really, really loved it. I didn't know that I would enjoy such a book where literally nothing happens to the protagonist except that she just sleeps, sleeps and sleeps. This book is about a woman who is severely depressed. She decides to take the year (2000-2001) as her year of rest and relaxation but she can't even relax because of her past and the things that reeled over her head. She wants to be reborn, refreshed by the help of sleep, rest and relaxation. So, she decides to medicate in order to renew herself and also hibernate for a year. And she basically sleeps and takes pills throughout the year.
**And then she went to a black room and got perspective** (chapter 4 - chef's kiss)
This book talks about death, depression, conformity, society at large and SLEEP, but it's not a sad book. Rather the dark humour and the clever usage of words makes it even more interesting. The concept is bizarre yet fascinating. The characters are funny, I'd say. Written in a stream of consciousness narrative, it adds to the flavour. Talking about the medication, then the dependency and the subsequent exploitation of pills has been perfectly portrayed here. The writing is unparalleled and, of course, the same as the protagonist's mood. Such as in depression, at times there's so many things that are going on in your mind and other times it's just a void and nothingness. And your mind just roams around those random things. The accurate selection of words at the specific places makes it even better. By portraying the protagonist as rich, I think it's a requirement for the story to convey the message. It shows the privilege of those people who can afford such a luxury of doing nothing for a whole year. Because of that things get much more easier to the author's end. (Clever intend)
While talking about the fun part, there are a few shortcomings as well. First of all, it drags/repeats a little in the middle, as if it feels like the writer repeating things that happened before. The ending feels rushed and dull. It could have provided more substance between these sections. The relationships ended on such terms which felt rushed. I'd love to read a slow and gradual process in that part.
The description of depression is so accurate and gives a deeper insight into our protagonist's mind. Moshfegh's intent on giving an accurate description upon the fashion industry was a slap across the face of society standards. Showing two different characters where the protagonist doesn't care about social standards and fashion and on the other hand Reva cares so much about it as if she has handcuffed herself with these thoughts about standard and status and conformity. A very good social commentary indeed.
I can feel this book is not for everyone since it has, literally, zero plot and has essentially no “turning point/ plot twist” or anything as such. This is just a book about a sad girl who is trying to understand life and get some perspective by living in a state of hibernation. With that being said, I'd say that everyone needs a year of rest and relaxation in their lives at some point in time. So God, make everybody rich for a year.
***Perfect book for a sad girl summer book trope***
-----------------
First reread was as fun and exciting as the first time I read that book. Chose to review this book as my class assignment for the book review, and I am yet to submit it, hehe. And yep, reread really helps as to find certain themes which I had missed during my first reading. Nothing's changed, it's still a bizzare one.
February 2023 starting
-----------------
While updating for a reread for this book, somehow, my previous post got deleted. I HATE you Goodreads!!
May 2022
--------------
Okay. So when I said I understood this book, at the same time I didn't understand it either. Yet I really, really loved it. I didn't know that I would enjoy such a book where literally nothing happens to the protagonist except that she just sleeps, sleeps and sleeps. This book is about a woman who is severely depressed. She decides to take the year (2000-2001) as her year of rest and relaxation but she can't even relax because of her past and the things that reeled over her head. She wants to be reborn, refreshed by the help of sleep, rest and relaxation. So, she decides to medicate in order to renew herself and also hibernate for a year. And she basically sleeps and takes pills throughout the year.
**And then she went to a black room and got perspective** (chapter 4 - chef's kiss)
This book talks about death, depression, conformity, society at large and SLEEP, but it's not a sad book. Rather the dark humour and the clever usage of words makes it even more interesting. The concept is bizarre yet fascinating. The characters are funny, I'd say. Written in a stream of consciousness narrative, it adds to the flavour. Talking about the medication, then the dependency and the subsequent exploitation of pills has been perfectly portrayed here. The writing is unparalleled and, of course, the same as the protagonist's mood. Such as in depression, at times there's so many things that are going on in your mind and other times it's just a void and nothingness. And your mind just roams around those random things. The accurate selection of words at the specific places makes it even better. By portraying the protagonist as rich, I think it's a requirement for the story to convey the message. It shows the privilege of those people who can afford such a luxury of doing nothing for a whole year. Because of that things get much more easier to the author's end. (Clever intend)
While talking about the fun part, there are a few shortcomings as well. First of all, it drags/repeats a little in the middle, as if it feels like the writer repeating things that happened before. The ending feels rushed and dull. It could have provided more substance between these sections. The relationships ended on such terms which felt rushed. I'd love to read a slow and gradual process in that part.
The description of depression is so accurate and gives a deeper insight into our protagonist's mind. Moshfegh's intent on giving an accurate description upon the fashion industry was a slap across the face of society standards. Showing two different characters where the protagonist doesn't care about social standards and fashion and on the other hand Reva cares so much about it as if she has handcuffed herself with these thoughts about standard and status and conformity. A very good social commentary indeed.
I can feel this book is not for everyone since it has, literally, zero plot and has essentially no “turning point/ plot twist” or anything as such. This is just a book about a sad girl who is trying to understand life and get some perspective by living in a state of hibernation. With that being said, I'd say that everyone needs a year of rest and relaxation in their lives at some point in time. So God, make everybody rich for a year.
***Perfect book for a sad girl summer book trope***