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A review by tanyamariereads
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
4.0
This was a tough one to review. I loved it, but it also made me super uncomfortable. I've heeded the warnings from other reviews, but most warnings were on how graphic the novel was and not how triggering it could be for someone who has experienced anxiety and depression (i.e. me).
The story is set in NYC in the year 2000 and is told by the nameless narrator. The narrator is privileged in looks and wealth, and is suffering from severe depression (although that term is never used throughout the story). She takes it upon herself to seek help and finds a therapist that provides her with all the pharmaceuticals that will guarantee an easy fix to her woes. The narrator takes it upon herself to mix certain prescriptions in order to be in drug induced coma for a year. She believes this is the only way she can be reborn into the world.
I get it. We would all love to have the freedom to sleep for a year because we're all burnt out and could use some R&R, but the narrator of the book shows all the ways you should not cope with anxiety or depression. She's reliant on pharmaceutical drugs to be the ultimate cure for what she simply dismisses as apathy to the world. Her therapist is horrible and the only friend that's close enough to the narrator to intervene has personal issues of her own to really notice the narrator's struggles. So why the high rating despite everything that I just listed that made me cringe? Thankfully I was in a good head space to read this story and did not feel like it was mirroring my current state. Ottessa does a tremendous job of getting inside the head of the narrator and translating it on the page. Also the reader gets a further glimpse into the narrator's past as to what brought on her depression and why she's so reluctant to seek out true help.
It's definitely a good read, but make sure you're in a good head space before reading.
The story is set in NYC in the year 2000 and is told by the nameless narrator. The narrator is privileged in looks and wealth, and is suffering from severe depression (although that term is never used throughout the story). She takes it upon herself to seek help and finds a therapist that provides her with all the pharmaceuticals that will guarantee an easy fix to her woes. The narrator takes it upon herself to mix certain prescriptions in order to be in drug induced coma for a year. She believes this is the only way she can be reborn into the world.
I get it. We would all love to have the freedom to sleep for a year because we're all burnt out and could use some R&R, but the narrator of the book shows all the ways you should not cope with anxiety or depression. She's reliant on pharmaceutical drugs to be the ultimate cure for what she simply dismisses as apathy to the world. Her therapist is horrible and the only friend that's close enough to the narrator to intervene has personal issues of her own to really notice the narrator's struggles. So why the high rating despite everything that I just listed that made me cringe? Thankfully I was in a good head space to read this story and did not feel like it was mirroring my current state. Ottessa does a tremendous job of getting inside the head of the narrator and translating it on the page. Also the reader gets a further glimpse into the narrator's past as to what brought on her depression and why she's so reluctant to seek out true help.
It's definitely a good read, but make sure you're in a good head space before reading.