A review by hadleym12
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

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

3.5

Moshfegh creates a really interesting character in Eileen, most compelling is the wavering reliability of Eileen’s present self as she discusses a story of the past. Eileen as a narrator presents self-awareness and objectivity as she tells a story of her past that she has since grown from, but through the continued narration, as the intensity increases, the reader is able to question how much Eileen has really changed from her disturbed, sheltered, 24 year old self. I personally find stories which delve into complications of reliability in their narrators to be so compelling, and I was pleased with this one. However, the story does take a bit to pick up, and I did find the end to be a bit predictable once it did. Ultimately, though the plot wasn’t as intriguing to me as advertised, I did find this to be an enjoyable twisted little story
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