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

dark funny reflective 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

4.0

that was a journey.

first, narrator was so incredibly unlikeable and privileged but she was aware of it and accepted it so that was kinda a lil refreshing to read even tho it did get annoying at times.

also i actually liked reva even tho she was whiny and annoying in the narrators eyes, she grew on me
this book is def a clear satire and i ended up enjoying most of it even tho it was repetitive; it was also v funny—the narrator’s selfish thoughts and dr tuttle’s clear inability to be a therapist.

however, even tho ik it is a satire of privileged rich white women, the use of slurs and weird racist stereotypes just left a bad taste in my mouth. also some of the things she did were just too much for me like reva truly did try so hard for her so it only makes sense that she wouldn’t after the narrator
has her rebirth moment


also
reva’s ending :(( i knew as soon as she started working at the twin towers in 2001 but i was most surprised to see that the narrator actually cared. actually it’s quite sad that the narrator ended a year of grieving for her parents, for the loss of her relationship w trevor, only to lose reva


overall though, the writing was gorgeous, the humor was brilliant, the narrators depression was accurately represented, and the book was easy to read after a reading slump.
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