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

dark funny reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

this is one of the most relatable and accurate depictions of depression that i’ve ever come across. depression is ugly and disgusting and makes you a shitty friend. the narrator is not a likable person, but i did find myself loving her because of how intimately i understand her and how much of the worst parts of myself i see in her. i found myself both jealous that she is rich enough to actually do what i’ve dreamt about since i was 12 and dedicate all of her time to sleeping, and so grateful that i’m no longer in a place where i want to sleep for a year. just maybe a month. i’ve had this on my shelf for years and i’m so glad i waited until now to read it. both the narrator and i are 26, and i think this would have made me spiral if i was 23.
the writing style of this book is so hypnotic. every time i emerged from a reading session i felt disoriented, like i was waking up from a too-long, sweaty afternoon nap. i felt a little bit how i imagine the narrator felt in her waking hours. a lot of people describe the pace of this book as slow, and i guess that’s fair, but i flew through this. the combination of short, clipped sentences and excessive run-on sentences just pulled me along for the ride. 
if you’ve ever felt like sleeping for a year would fix you but are currently in a better, more healed place, i highly recommend this. 
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