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

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

4.25

Some books exaggerate and reflect the worst parts of you. This one did just that. The book is a very hard to explain kind of confrontation if you haven’t had some sort of relationship with mental illness. It’s also hatefully reflective of the current reality of a lot of young adults where honestly a year of sleep sounds very enticing. 

The end was personally definitely a little underwhelming. The 9/11 montage overlaying a sense of forced self actualisation? It seemed to undercut the book as a whole and didn’t seem quite worth the payoff.
A part of me wants to read this again but stop just over a chapter from the end. Then again I may sit with it longer and change my mind. 
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