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

reflective medium-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

2.5

The benefit of reading viral books is being able to find them in cheap deals. Moshfeghs book is certainly a good evaluation of depression- and the feelings the narrator has toward the world are indeed immersive and believable. Unfortunately, it feels as if she lacks nuance, with a lot of her character feeling one-dimensional with only some other aspects being revealed fleetingly. This almost always happens within the relationship with Reva, yet this doesn't pick up steam until well in the second half. While the concept is intriguing and the narrator complex, the haze of drug taking and therapist lying in the first half impeded the enjoyment I had in the book - as I wished for less Tuttle and Goldberg and more development into her complex relationship with Reva.