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raelemkesprung's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Well-written hopelessness. I canβt decide if I loathed it or appreciated it.
lversrock's review against another edition
3.0
"my past life would be but a dream, and i could start over without regrets, bolstered by the bliss and serenity that i would have accumulated during my year of rest and relaxation."
this was... weird. i have mixed feelings on this book as a whole. it was weird, and upsetting, and a little grotesque. but to give it anything less than a 3 because of these things seems unfair because i think that was kind of the entire point of the book.
firstly, i want to discuss this narrator. she is an unnamed narrator with extreme depression, currently grieving the loss of her parents. she, among other things, is a very selfish and pessimistic human. she drugs herself up daily in hopes to sleep for as long as possible. we go through her journey of extreme self-loathing. suffering, and rotting her entire life away. it's... a little pathetic actually. she goes from being awful to people, feeling sorry for herself, acknowledging it (a little bit), and then the cycle starts anew. but again, i think this is kind of the point. we are not supposed to like her. we aren't supposed to respect her actions or her poor decision-making. she is supposed to upset us. now that sounds a bit counterintuitive because it's like: who wants to read about someone they don't like? who wants to sit there and read about some fucked up woman destroying her life daily? but that's what puts this whole story into perspective really. it's not the plot, it's her. it's her complexity, and her selfishness, and her strange martyr complex that drives this story forward. it honestly made me want to know more. why is she the way that she is? why does she think that sleep will fix her? will she grow as a character? how is this affecting those around her, like reva?
REVA. let's talk about reva. reva and the narrator have such a fragile "friendship." it's built entirely on attachment, convenience, and using one another as a safety net. reva, at her core, isn't necessarily a "bad" character. she's just easily influenced and has a bit of a shallow personality. her and the narrator's suffering are written in such a way that makes us want to feel bad for them, but because of their actions, we don't. because we simply can't. we can't sit here and feel sorry for these two if all they do for this entire book are complain and feel sorry for themselves. was she a bad friend though? definitely. not only did the narrator just completely resent her and find her annoying at any waking moment she got to talk about her, but reva was also so manipulative towards her. she was neglectful of the narrator's feelings a lot of the time. but then again, that 100% goes both ways throughout this friendship. friends that are openly jealous of you are not good friends to have.
now, the writing. the usage of metaphors in this book is incredible. i could visualize this entire book perfectly. the narrator speaks like me, in this sense. always comparing her life to a movie she really enjoys (as a movie buff, i jumped at every movie mentioned that i recognized.) moshfegh writes misery in one of the most realistic ways i've seen it written. it is sickening, gruesome, aggravating beyond measure, confusing, complex, painful. it is so many things, and not a single one of the words i used has a positive connotation.
on the contrary, that's all i can really say about this book. although i can appreciate everything i listed above, i didn't particularly like this book. it's extremely intriguing with its plot, pacing, storytelling, and characters. but at its core, it's not a pleasant reading experience. it's been on my tbr for months now, and i can't say i was completely satisfied. maybe i'm just missing something, but this book didn't really do it for me. if this sounds like your cup of tea, then by all means give this a read. but i don't think this isn't something i'd recommend to anyone if they asked. it's not for everyone, and i don't really think it was for me either.
this was... weird. i have mixed feelings on this book as a whole. it was weird, and upsetting, and a little grotesque. but to give it anything less than a 3 because of these things seems unfair because i think that was kind of the entire point of the book.
firstly, i want to discuss this narrator. she is an unnamed narrator with extreme depression, currently grieving the loss of her parents. she, among other things, is a very selfish and pessimistic human. she drugs herself up daily in hopes to sleep for as long as possible. we go through her journey of extreme self-loathing. suffering, and rotting her entire life away. it's... a little pathetic actually. she goes from being awful to people, feeling sorry for herself, acknowledging it (a little bit), and then the cycle starts anew. but again, i think this is kind of the point. we are not supposed to like her. we aren't supposed to respect her actions or her poor decision-making. she is supposed to upset us. now that sounds a bit counterintuitive because it's like: who wants to read about someone they don't like? who wants to sit there and read about some fucked up woman destroying her life daily? but that's what puts this whole story into perspective really. it's not the plot, it's her. it's her complexity, and her selfishness, and her strange martyr complex that drives this story forward. it honestly made me want to know more. why is she the way that she is? why does she think that sleep will fix her? will she grow as a character? how is this affecting those around her, like reva?
REVA. let's talk about reva. reva and the narrator have such a fragile "friendship." it's built entirely on attachment, convenience, and using one another as a safety net. reva, at her core, isn't necessarily a "bad" character. she's just easily influenced and has a bit of a shallow personality. her and the narrator's suffering are written in such a way that makes us want to feel bad for them, but because of their actions, we don't. because we simply can't. we can't sit here and feel sorry for these two if all they do for this entire book are complain and feel sorry for themselves. was she a bad friend though? definitely. not only did the narrator just completely resent her and find her annoying at any waking moment she got to talk about her, but reva was also so manipulative towards her. she was neglectful of the narrator's feelings a lot of the time. but then again, that 100% goes both ways throughout this friendship. friends that are openly jealous of you are not good friends to have.
now, the writing. the usage of metaphors in this book is incredible. i could visualize this entire book perfectly. the narrator speaks like me, in this sense. always comparing her life to a movie she really enjoys (as a movie buff, i jumped at every movie mentioned that i recognized.) moshfegh writes misery in one of the most realistic ways i've seen it written. it is sickening, gruesome, aggravating beyond measure, confusing, complex, painful. it is so many things, and not a single one of the words i used has a positive connotation.
on the contrary, that's all i can really say about this book. although i can appreciate everything i listed above, i didn't particularly like this book. it's extremely intriguing with its plot, pacing, storytelling, and characters. but at its core, it's not a pleasant reading experience. it's been on my tbr for months now, and i can't say i was completely satisfied. maybe i'm just missing something, but this book didn't really do it for me. if this sounds like your cup of tea, then by all means give this a read. but i don't think this isn't something i'd recommend to anyone if they asked. it's not for everyone, and i don't really think it was for me either.
sophieguillas's review against another edition
4.0
Compelling but also boring? Kind of delicious to feel depressed and read about another depressed person be sooooo self destructive. Like it's unhealthy, but in a low stakes way.
jammyisreading's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Jammy ππππ
jesseletford's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-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
5.0
caseygriffin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
rjphilander's review against another edition
challenging
dark
relaxing
sad
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
3.0
cherrybianca_'s review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5