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

4.0

You know when a car accident happens and people slow down to see what happened? This is what reading "My Year of Rest" felt like. It felt like watching a trainwreck happen in real time.

When I had first heard of this book I thought it was non-fiction because of the title but it's about a main character (who we never learn the name of) who decides that the best way to solve their problems is to try and sleep through a year. Maybe this sounds like a boring concept but when I started to read the first few pages when I picked it up at the library I couldn't put it down.

It talks about sleep of course, but also art and privilege and time. One of my favourite quotes is this one:

"'It's not about the men, Women are so judgmental. They're always comparing.'

'But why do you care? It's not a contest'

'Yes, it is. You just can't see it because you're always the winner'"


This book won't be for everyone but I would still recommend people give it a try.

Warning, features/talks about: Depression, eating disorders, drug use

ps. The views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect the views of Indigo Books & Music Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. #IndigoEmployee