Fiction

Death in Her Hands

Death in Her Hands

  • Downloads：7945
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-04 09:51:21
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ottessa Moshfegh
  • ISBN：1529112346
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

'This is a story about what might happen when a woman takes charge。。。 A glorious visceral mystery' The Times

While on her daily walk with her dog in the woods near her home， Vesta comes across a chilling handwritten note。 Her name was Magda。 Nobody will ever know who killed her。 It wasn't me。 Here is her dead body。

Shaky even on her best days， Vesta is also alone， and new to the area， having moved here after the death of her husband。 Her brooding about the note grows quickly into a full-blown obsession: who was Magda and how did she meet her fate？

From the Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen comes this razor-sharp， chilling and darkly hilarious novel about the stories we tell ourselves and how we strive to obscure the truth。
__________________________
PRAISE FOR DEATH IN HER HANDS:
'Routinely hailed as one of the most exciting young American authors working today' Guardian
'A new kind of murder mystery' New Yorker
'Dark， devious' Observer
'A fine line between shocking realism and the absurd' New Statesman
'A brilliant off-kilter detective story' Evening Standard
'A beautiful novel' Sunday Times

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Reviews

Reagan ，

i never do this but i legit couldn’t read this。 i stopped after like 10 pages and flipped through to see if things picked up but no。 i did not need 10 pages of description of the narrators relationship with her dog。

Carly ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked this novel。 I like that you have no idea what's real and what's not in the end。 Moshfegh brilliantly adds to this confusion， by weaving in references to make multiple， inconsistent theories of what really happened possible。 Did Vesta write the note herself or was it there because of the murder mystery party？ Did Charlie get rabies or was he a figment of her imagination or was he a wild animal？ Many readers leave this book and say they didn't get it， but you're not supposed to "get" this I liked this novel。 I like that you have no idea what's real and what's not in the end。 Moshfegh brilliantly adds to this confusion， by weaving in references to make multiple， inconsistent theories of what really happened possible。 Did Vesta write the note herself or was it there because of the murder mystery party？ Did Charlie get rabies or was he a figment of her imagination or was he a wild animal？ Many readers leave this book and say they didn't get it， but you're not supposed to "get" this novel because delusion is seamlessly intertwined with reality。 Vesta couldn't differentiate between the two， and neither can the reader。 This novel speaks to the power of one's own mind （what it can create out of nothing） and also the mind's limits （Vesta's mind appears altered by her emotionally abusive husband "putting thoughts in her head"） 。。。more

Camille ☆ ，

such an interesting view into a grieving woman’s mind， and a fantastic commentary on how the mind can easily alter our perceptions of what is real and what is not

Lucy Mitchell ，

I struggled with this book but I finished it。 I wanted so much more from it and am left feeling a little deflated。

Mars ，

*scratches head* i guess。。。

Paulette ，

A mystifying novel that features an elderly woman who while walking in the woods finds a note。 She pursues trying to find a body referenced in the note。 As she pieces together clues and analyzes people in her small town， her mind unravels。 This is a story of imagination and isolation that will have you wondering after the last page is done。

ghod ，

her writing style is so unique and brilliant。 she could write about grass growing and i would still enjoy it。

francine diemer ，

The audiobook version is a MUST。

Magdelanye ，

Sometimes I looked for books I'd heard being reviewed on public radio。 It was hard to separate the opinions of the reviewer from my own。 And in that， it was easier to enjoy a book if I'd already made up my mind to like it。 I didn't have to debate with myself so much， even if the book wasn't all that interesting。 p35Such are instincts。 They aren't always reasonable and often they lead us down dangerous paths。 p15Was it better to look or not to look？ p 189What is it about Ottessa Moshfegh？ In spit Sometimes I looked for books I'd heard being reviewed on public radio。 It was hard to separate the opinions of the reviewer from my own。 And in that， it was easier to enjoy a book if I'd already made up my mind to like it。 I didn't have to debate with myself so much， even if the book wasn't all that interesting。 p35Such are instincts。 They aren't always reasonable and often they lead us down dangerous paths。 p15Was it better to look or not to look？ p 189What is it about Ottessa Moshfegh？ In spite of some reviews stating otherwise， this is an interesting book。 But how could I love her？ She concerns herself with creepy people and uncomfortable things。Tunnelling deep into the human psyche， she extracts the nuances of the anguish of being and renders it down to size。 You can it discern it，gleaming in her fist。 Something clicks for me in the twisted journey。There is a dialogue。 The mind must be spoken to。。。otherwise it starts to atrophy。 It turns to sludge。。。。But if the mind talks to itself。。。isn't it just saying what it wants to hear？ p90Most days I hardly remembered that poetry existed。 It seemed preposterous that there were still poets out there among us。。。。What use was there in poems， when people had television now？ p141See what I mean？ As a poet who refuses to own a TV， I could easily hate her just for that。 As I read this， however， I laughed。 OM makes her points clear。 She seldom says what we want to here but lean in and get the message。I was sick of theory。 What mattered is what a person did， not what they went around pontificating about。 233 People lied all the time。 It was part of what kept us whole as individuals。 A little lying never hurt anybody。 it kept the bounds of what what one person was distinct from what another person was。 Of course。。。too much lying would make for a troubled landscape。 p82OM takes us through troubling landscapes indeed; our collective consciousness is overgrown with weeds。 Her digging reveals hidden treasure。Even though so many had already burned out， like me， they still glimmered。 p239And how nice it was to know that one could forget。。。。We are resilient。 We suffer， heal， and proceed。 p38 。。。more

Matt ，

certainly an odd story that I wouldn’t particularly recommend。 didn’t really go anywhere。 Moshfegh’s writing is accessible， but the novel left me confused by the end。 What was the point of everything Moshfegh wrote in this book？ it was easy to get through， because I read with the assumption that there would be a conclusion that made sense in the context of the story， but there wasn’t。

Wolf Stone ，

This book was a horrible waste of time。 None of the accolades given were deserved。 This novel purports to contain horror， suspense and black comedy。 The only horror was that of the time wasted in reading it。 The only suspense was how long it would take to finish this drivel。 The only comedy was how this poor excuse for a novel was ever published

isabel ，

3。5 it was going to be 4 but the end was a little underwhelming and felt a little rushed/short idk but i love the writing style and i definitely need to read more of her works

Yy ，

The book began just fine: Vesta Gul a 72 year old lady was walking her dog one day and she finds a note that claims that a person called Magda is dead and her body is there and that the writer of the note didn’t kill her。 Everything else from here on isn’t my cup of tea and I didn’t like it。 Yes the book is high metafictional nature: Moshfegh writes about an old lady who is creating/ writing her own murder story based on a random note she found。 The old lady’s writing and musing is written by mo The book began just fine: Vesta Gul a 72 year old lady was walking her dog one day and she finds a note that claims that a person called Magda is dead and her body is there and that the writer of the note didn’t kill her。 Everything else from here on isn’t my cup of tea and I didn’t like it。 Yes the book is high metafictional nature: Moshfegh writes about an old lady who is creating/ writing her own murder story based on a random note she found。 The old lady’s writing and musing is written by moshfegh and we get this multiple layers of an author writing about the process of creation and auteurship。 But the book is neither fun， amusing or interesting。 From the onset it’s clear that the old lady is obsessing over the note that has no great meaning， and she herself reflexively points out that paranoia sprang from guilt and regret — both of which she seemed to have copious amounts of。 Is it through her act of writing and imagination that she abruptly found purpose and something to be excited about in her life that is dull， lonely and monotonous？ Perhaps。 She’s abruptly so taken with her own imagination that she neglects her only faithful companion Charlie just to obsess further with a random note （this neglect is something that turns me off immensely）。 Then she gets more and more unhinged。 We get to glimpse at her past， her history — all intertwined with her writing of Magda’s story — as she weaves parts and pieces of herself into Magda。 How she perceives and created Magda also reflects her own story; how she perceives those around her （with suspicion， distaste and dislike） also tells us a lot about her as a person。 We see that she’s an unreliable first person narrator who is also increasingly unlikable as the story goes on: but then what？ Perhaps it’s a ponderarion of life near its end。 It’s a lamentation of loneliness and helplessness that one’s physical and mental faculties were no longer what it used to be， and how the sheer loneliness that one experiences can perhaps only be somehow relieved by one’s own imagination， however crazy。 But through the philosophical ponderations and all， the book’s postmodern essence of saying a lot without anything much happening at all isn’t what I enjoy and what I like。 It’s intellectual， cerebral — both literally and figuratively — but also a tedious read。 Certainly didn’t appreciate the fact that she stab her dog in the end， though I did question whether 1） her dog existed at all or if it’s also a figment of her imagination 2） perhaps it’s not her dog now and a figment of her imagination 3） a random hound she stabbed。 。。。more

Denise Westlake ，

。。。 I'm disappointed in myself for continuing all the way to finish。 。。。 I'm disappointed in myself for continuing all the way to finish。 。。。more

Maddy ，

3。5

Alex Sitar ，

I don’t know how I feel about this book， I feel like it could switch between two starts and four stars depending on the day。 I understand why a lot of people were disappointed by this and hate it， and it definitely doesn’t one hundred percent feel like an ottessa moshfegh novel。 It reminds me a lot of charlie kaufman’s adaptation of i’m thinking of ending things and I think it would work a lot better as a movie than a book。 I loved the concept and I found the novel to be very atmospheric， and ap I don’t know how I feel about this book， I feel like it could switch between two starts and four stars depending on the day。 I understand why a lot of people were disappointed by this and hate it， and it definitely doesn’t one hundred percent feel like an ottessa moshfegh novel。 It reminds me a lot of charlie kaufman’s adaptation of i’m thinking of ending things and I think it would work a lot better as a movie than a book。 I loved the concept and I found the novel to be very atmospheric， and appreciated how weird it got， but the execution… i don’t knowww。 Also someone please just explain it to me， i don’t understand it。 。。。more

Clara Mars ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 spoilers ahead: There were some things I really really liked about this like the beauty of the final passage， and mostly the way Moshfegh solves a problem I've been trying to write around for a long time: how to write a story of loneliness and boredom where pretty much nothing happens without writing a boring story where nothing happens。 But there were other things I really didn't like， esp。 the killing of an animal spoilers ahead: There were some things I really really liked about this like the beauty of the final passage， and mostly the way Moshfegh solves a problem I've been trying to write around for a long time: how to write a story of loneliness and boredom where pretty much nothing happens without writing a boring story where nothing happens。 But there were other things I really didn't like， esp。 the killing of an animal 。。。more

Nora Eugénie ，

Algo que admiro mucho de Ottessa Moshfegh después de haber leído sus tres novelas es que pese a tener un estilo narrativo muy directo y visual， bastante llano y poco «literario» （si se me permite）， es que consigue dejar huella。 El monólogo interior infinito de sus protagonistas desagradables， esa fijación enfermiza por describir la miseria y también la constante violencia machista atravesando sus historias de forma velada， sutil， sin caer dramatizaciones morbosas。 Podría reconocer un texto suyo Algo que admiro mucho de Ottessa Moshfegh después de haber leído sus tres novelas es que pese a tener un estilo narrativo muy directo y visual， bastante llano y poco «literario» （si se me permite）， es que consigue dejar huella。 El monólogo interior infinito de sus protagonistas desagradables， esa fijación enfermiza por describir la miseria y también la constante violencia machista atravesando sus historias de forma velada， sutil， sin caer dramatizaciones morbosas。 Podría reconocer un texto suyo en cualquier parte。 Me ha pasado lo mismo en las tres lecturas: sus novelas van acelerando con las páginas， cogen un ritmo frenético y finalmente te estallan en la cara。 Es adictiva， quieres más， yo siempre quiero más。 Esta novela en particular me parece un ejercicio literario muy， muy arriesgado que ha resuelto muy bien， a pesar de que me quedo con hambre， con ganas de más， de mucho más。 。。。more

Abby Woodard ，

This book definitely had a slump in the middle but boy did the ending redeem it。 Brilliant psychological themes and commentary on life and loneliness。 A little bone-chilling。 Would recommend if you are patient enough for a slow but redeeming read。

Adrienne ，

I don't like books that are basically about nothing。 Okay， so some old lady gets fixated and spins crazy yarns in her head， so what？ At the end， there is basically no resolution of anything cause we've just been inside some crazy lady's head the entire time。 She barely talks to anyone and just hangs out alone spiraling into senility。 This novel shows how a book can really benefit from some dialogue and character interaction。 The parts where she does encounter other people are by far the most int I don't like books that are basically about nothing。 Okay， so some old lady gets fixated and spins crazy yarns in her head， so what？ At the end， there is basically no resolution of anything cause we've just been inside some crazy lady's head the entire time。 She barely talks to anyone and just hangs out alone spiraling into senility。 This novel shows how a book can really benefit from some dialogue and character interaction。 The parts where she does encounter other people are by far the most interesting in the book。 Waste of time。 。。。more

Elke ，

What a bookWill keep me thinking about it a long while。。。

Daniel ，

Weird and interesting。

N。A。A。 ，

In terms of craft: cleverIn terms of prose: tiredIn terms of character: impeccableIn terms of story: haphazardWhat’s truly fascinating is that while writing this novel， Moshfegh unwittingly shared a “mindspace” with Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead before Tokarczuk’s book was translated into English…witchy

Millie Bickley ，

The ending fills me with rage。 I have absolutely no idea what actually happened。 I mean what。 Dont read if you want to feel satisfied with a book because when I got to the ending u felt like there was at least 50 Pgs missing

Sarah ，

MUCH to think about

Correy ，

3。5

briar ，

i feel insane

emily ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was such an interesting read。 This book is about an old woman who “investigates” the murder of a dead woman - except she doesn’t see the body， only a note about the person’s death。Despite not being plot based， it was gripping。 Dealing with an insane， sometimes very unlikable character was very entertaining - having to debate what was real or just in her head。

jordan ，

i truly cannot rate this one

Trigger Warning Database ，

Trigger & Content WarningsAntiziganismDeath of a dog

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Death in Her Hands

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Death in Her Hands&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Death in Her Hands&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0