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studenison 's review for:
Death in Her Hands
by Ottessa Moshfegh
After reading this, it becomes really clear what I enjoy about Moshfegh's writing, and what fails to land (to me, at least).
Her characters - usually a single narrator who's on the fringes of society in some way - are brilliantly wrought, compelling, offbeat, and weird. And yes, 'unlikable,' as everyone's so fond of pointing out. They each have a clear, unique voice, which I'm interested to follow and learn more about.
And yet, when it comes to plot, it often feels secondary, an afterthought, almost. The actual progression of events can be plodding, cliched, and predictable. This, I think, is why Eileen and My Year of... both worked so well for me - the plot of both is relatively simple, and is more of an adjunct to a biting character study in each case.
For Death in Her Hands (a murder mystery, of sorts), however, and similarly with Lapvona (a historical fantasy), the form/genre requires a decent plot to drive the action forward. The lack of this is perhaps what left me slightly cold towards both books.
Her characters - usually a single narrator who's on the fringes of society in some way - are brilliantly wrought, compelling, offbeat, and weird. And yes, 'unlikable,' as everyone's so fond of pointing out. They each have a clear, unique voice, which I'm interested to follow and learn more about.
And yet, when it comes to plot, it often feels secondary, an afterthought, almost. The actual progression of events can be plodding, cliched, and predictable. This, I think, is why Eileen and My Year of... both worked so well for me - the plot of both is relatively simple, and is more of an adjunct to a biting character study in each case.
For Death in Her Hands (a murder mystery, of sorts), however, and similarly with Lapvona (a historical fantasy), the form/genre requires a decent plot to drive the action forward. The lack of this is perhaps what left me slightly cold towards both books.