A review by pkc
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

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

4.0

It’s weird to think that a book so profoundly dark also has some of the wittiest prose I’ve read to date, but this does. A lot of heavy lifting was done by the last 50-60 pages of this for me in terms of how it impacted the star rating, but the preceding 200-odd are a fascinating character study of the eponymous Eileen and her less-than-desirable circumstances. She put me in mind of a much (MUCH) darker Eleanor Oliphant. Please do read the trigger warnings before you read this book, just in case.
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