Joerg reviewed My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Review of 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I love Ottessa Moshfegh's writing, but this just didn't come together
paperback, 304 pages
Published June 25, 2019 by Penguin Books.
It's early 2000 on New York City's Upper East Side, and the alienation of Moshfegh's unnamed young protagonist from others is nearly complete when she initiates her yearlong siesta, during which time she experiences limited personal interactions. Her parents have died; her relationships with her bulimic best friend Reva, an ex-boyfriend, and her drug-pushing psychiatrist are unwholesome. As her pill-popping intensifies, so does her isolation and determination to leave behind the world's travails. She is also beset by dangerous blackouts induced by a powerful medication.
I love Ottessa Moshfegh's writing, but this just didn't come together
Very entertaining
Simply sleeping so everything gets better. Mood. But seriously, I really like this story in a few ways. One of the things that I didn't like as much was the number of pages, I just feel like I'd have liked it more in a shorter format.
Gross, aspirational, liberatory, inspiring, and depressing all at the same time. I read this in one sitting.