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

dark funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

"I'm taking some time off. This is my year of rest and relaxation."

this book was fascinating. it was weird, crazy and strangely depressing. ottessa moshfegh did a great job describing depression and the urge to self-isolate and self-destruct for the sake of feeling nothing and, finally, for the sake of change.
 
the characters, as many other reviews already mentioned, are deeply, horrifically unlikeable, especially the narrator. but i believe that's the exact thing that creates the tension and impact in the first place. we aren't supposed to like the protagonist, aren't supposed to sympathize with her and feel sorry for what she's going through. if she was a genuinely good person, would the book still make us feel so empty and strange and grounded? no. we would be sad for her and pick up the messages my year of rest and relaxation portrays in a way that's pitiful and emotional. but the hard truth is that the narrator is a bad person and the things she's feeling are just as bad and broken.
"the unlikeable protagonist" just works in this story—no, makes it better even. because we can focus on the deep delusion and distortion the main character personifies, rather than feel bad and romanticize her situation. moshfegh also created an interesting set of side-characters that're as delusional as the narrator herself. there was not one sane person in this book, creating a sort of strange kaleidoscopic bubble we unconsciously learn to accept while reading.

rest and relaxation felt like a fever dream, i guess that sums it up. not sure whether i internalized any moral or learned anything new from this book except names of various drugs, but it was hella entertaining nevertheless.
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