My Year of Rest and Relaxation
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-12 06:55:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ottessa Moshfegh
- ISBN：0525522131
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From one of our boldest， most celebrated new literary voices， a novel about a young woman’s efforts to duck the ills of the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature and the battery of medicines she prescribes。
Our narrator should be happy， shouldn’t she？ She’s young， thin， pretty， a recent Columbia graduate， works an easy job at a hip art gallery， lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for， like the rest of her needs， by her inheritance。 But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart， and it isn’t just the loss of her parents， or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her， or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend， Reva。 It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong？
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question。 Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world， Moshfegh shows us how reasonable， even necessary， alienation can be。 Both tender and blackly funny， merciless and compassionate， it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers。
Our narrator should be happy， shouldn’t she？ She’s young， thin， pretty， a recent Columbia graduate， works an easy job at a hip art gallery， lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for， like the rest of her needs， by her inheritance。 But there is a dark and vacuous hole in her heart， and it isn’t just the loss of her parents， or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her， or her sadomasochistic relationship with her best friend， Reva。 It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong？
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a powerful answer to that question。 Through the story of a year spent under the influence of a truly mad combination of drugs designed to heal our heroine from her alienation from this world， Moshfegh shows us how reasonable， even necessary， alienation can be。 Both tender and blackly funny， merciless and compassionate， it is a showcase for the gifts of one of our major writers working at the height of her powers。
Reviews
Rhiannon
，
I did not finish this book。 I really disliked it ， got about halfway through waiting for it to improve and gave up。 I really don’t need to spend hours stewing in someone else’s depression pit with no reprieve， which is what this book felt like。 I really don’t understand the hype。 Maybe it’s a bit too close to my own experiences and not in a comforting way。 Who knows。
Sam :）
，
Mean women own my heart。I love how unafraid Moshfegh is to allow the narrator to actually be a character。 She's incredibly smart， but unreliable。 She sees things as they are， but they're still clouded by her own emotions。 She'll go on and on with these unfair rants about the people in her life， but will throw in these clearly true and poignant takes about life and being alive。 We saw all the characters through the emotional lens of our narrator， so it was kind of up to us to figure out how much Mean women own my heart。I love how unafraid Moshfegh is to allow the narrator to actually be a character。 She's incredibly smart， but unreliable。 She sees things as they are， but they're still clouded by her own emotions。 She'll go on and on with these unfair rants about the people in her life， but will throw in these clearly true and poignant takes about life and being alive。 We saw all the characters through the emotional lens of our narrator， so it was kind of up to us to figure out how much was an unfair exaggeration and how much was real and true。 。。。more
Tara Tekkey
，
Like Catcher in The Rye if Holden was a 26 year old woman who took sleeping pills。
anna
，
relatable lol
-siara grace-
，
2。5 stars :（
Ashley
，
I picked this book up because I liked the cover。 I can’t say I really enjoyed it， but it was ok。
Marietta
，
this book has the most unlikeable protagonist， whose name we never learn。 dives deep into a world of privilege and cynicism。 even though the lead is an asshole with a superiority complex， who just thought alienation is the way to fix herself， i still found myself relating to her
geli
，
Unhinged
mmasjam
，
Очень странная книга。 Причем странная не в плохом смысле。 Первые главы меня захватили， было очень интересно узнать， что произошло с рассказчицей в прошлом， что случится с ней потом。 И хотя меня немного раздражала внешняя беспроблемность ее жизни （у нее есть деньги， она красива， ей не надо работать， она может себе позволить целый год спячки）， она мешала воспринимать ее страдание как аутентичное страдание， я понимала， что в этом есть смысл， и в этом она была похожа на героиню из романа "Под стекля Очень странная книга。 Причем странная не в плохом смысле。 Первые главы меня захватили， было очень интересно узнать， что произошло с рассказчицей в прошлом， что случится с ней потом。 И хотя меня немного раздражала внешняя беспроблемность ее жизни （у нее есть деньги， она красива， ей не надо работать， она может себе позволить целый год спячки）， она мешала воспринимать ее страдание как аутентичное страдание， я понимала， что в этом есть смысл， и в этом она была похожа на героиню из романа "Под стеклянным колпаком" и на чувака из "Жизни в лесу"。 Но， наверное， проблема была в том， что я ждала какой-то развязки， я ждала чего-то в конце， а это что-то не предполагалось。 Причем даже не в плане сюжета， эта книга потому и оставалась интересна， что я не могла до последней страницы предположить， чем она закончится， но мне не хватило какой-то точки в художественном， поэтическом смысле。 У Сильвии Плат это было， там была какая-то неизбывная тоска， умножающая во много раз впечатление。 А тут я не смогла сконнектиться с книгой， ни на уровне чувств， ни на уровне идеи。 Но все равно рада， что прочитала 。。。more
Tina Tian
，
Not sure how I feel about this book。 It wasn't particularly enjoyable to read about the main character's self-destructive behavior and how she treats her friend with utter disregard and apathy， especially given how privileged she is， but I suppose that's the point of the book。 Sidenote: I read this book mostly before bed when I was on the brink of falling asleep， and I feel like that really added to the experience。 Not sure how I feel about this book。 It wasn't particularly enjoyable to read about the main character's self-destructive behavior and how she treats her friend with utter disregard and apathy， especially given how privileged she is， but I suppose that's the point of the book。 Sidenote: I read this book mostly before bed when I was on the brink of falling asleep， and I feel like that really added to the experience。 。。。more
•᷄ࡇ•᷅
，
very realistic and relatable characters with a weak plot。 i adore character based books so therefore the 4 stars。
Audrey
，
I would avoid this book if you need characters that are likable， change dramatically over a story arc， or improve themselves in any way。 This is not the book if you are looking for an uplifting read or a lot of plot。 This book is a dark， and darkly funny， character study of a woman who decides to let every effort go for a year， and embrace the oblivion of sleep as much as possible （with the help of several pharmaceuticals and a deeply unhinged psychiatrist）。 The unnamed narrator is a terrible fr I would avoid this book if you need characters that are likable， change dramatically over a story arc， or improve themselves in any way。 This is not the book if you are looking for an uplifting read or a lot of plot。 This book is a dark， and darkly funny， character study of a woman who decides to let every effort go for a year， and embrace the oblivion of sleep as much as possible （with the help of several pharmaceuticals and a deeply unhinged psychiatrist）。 The unnamed narrator is a terrible friend， possibly a terrible person， definitely a terrible employee。 Worse， she is rich！ She is white *and* blond！ She is very thin *and* very beautiful！ What a hatable character！ And yet。 I found myself so sympathetic to her pain and her wish to hide from it。 This is also gross novel。 It has details of human life that many people reading literary fiction would wish to avoid: sweat stains， shit， vomit， pubic hair。 Things that don't exist in most literary novels。 But don't we all have these things in common？ If anything should unite us， isn’t it the bare facts of our bodies and their operations？ Moshfegh seems to think so， but legions will disagree。 If those things don’t bother you， welcome to a strangely funny meditation on existential dread， grief， depression， pain， friendship （especially the fucked up， codependent kind）， Whoopi Goldberg， and death。 I enjoyed Moshfegh’s writing。 It’s clear and unpretentious， unshowy， but withering in its critical gaze。 And there’s much to criticize in that special moment that was pre-9/11 Manhattan。 And as always， there’s much to be unhappy about in being a woman—or even existing at all。 What a relief to give in and join this narrator in hating everything， at least for a few hours。 。。。more
wik
，
the ending was what i thought it would be， from the chronology and the set-up。 it does not make it any less effective， though。I don't even quite know what to say about this book。 in a way， it felt like an incredibly personal diary I should not have been reading （but I am glad I did）。the book went down smooth and quick， the writing ebbed and flowed and made me not necessarily relate to the main character， but certainly empathize with her。 as I said in one of the updates， sad women just really do the ending was what i thought it would be， from the chronology and the set-up。 it does not make it any less effective， though。I don't even quite know what to say about this book。 in a way， it felt like an incredibly personal diary I should not have been reading （but I am glad I did）。the book went down smooth and quick， the writing ebbed and flowed and made me not necessarily relate to the main character， but certainly empathize with her。 as I said in one of the updates， sad women just really do something to me。it did wrap up quite neatly - as if with little consequence， but then I think the journey itself was consequence plenty。 this was not meant to be a life lesson about drugs， but a close look at someone's depression and grief， and I enjoyed it as that。 reading this back-to-back with 'Norwegian Wood' was a pretty interesting experience， not going to lie。 they're not exactly similar， but their length and themes made it a fun cross section of just。。。 really depressing human realities lmfao。I really enjoyed this。 I also am a fan of Whoopi Goldberg。 I think this is one of those novels that would absolutely SUCK as a film。 4/5 。。。more
Charlotte
，
one of the strangest books i’ve ever read but i actually loved it。 the end chapter was kinda like idk but the rest was so good。 wish i was rich enough to take a year off to sleep
bunky
，
there’s only so many times you can listen to somebody complain about how thin and beautiful they are before you would rather kys than finish this book。essentially; no amount of self awareness could have saved this book from how violently irritating the main character is。
ania z
，
Jedna z bardziej specyficznych książek， jakie czytałam。 Rozumiem zamysł， realizacja wypadła dość słabo i spodziewałam się czegoś innego， ale nie mogę powiedzieć， że jestem zawiedziona。 Jakaś część mnie po przeczytaniu czuje się spełniona。 Niesamowita kreacja głównej bohaterki， całe 300 stron znajdujemy się w jej głowie， czujemy i myślimy to， co ona - a jest ona osobą zepsutą， pełną chaosu i zniszczenia。 Bardzo irytuje， ale wydaje mi się， że tak miało być。 To zdecydowanie na plus。 Mówi dość wulga Jedna z bardziej specyficznych książek， jakie czytałam。 Rozumiem zamysł， realizacja wypadła dość słabo i spodziewałam się czegoś innego， ale nie mogę powiedzieć， że jestem zawiedziona。 Jakaś część mnie po przeczytaniu czuje się spełniona。 Niesamowita kreacja głównej bohaterki， całe 300 stron znajdujemy się w jej głowie， czujemy i myślimy to， co ona - a jest ona osobą zepsutą， pełną chaosu i zniszczenia。 Bardzo irytuje， ale wydaje mi się， że tak miało być。 To zdecydowanie na plus。 Mówi dość wulgarnym językiem， co wiele osób zarzuca autorce jako wadę， ale trzeba pamiętać， że nawet jeśli nam się to nie podoba， to do narratorki i jej sposobu bycia jak najbardziej pasuje。 Książka smuci i przytłacza。 Miało być trochę humoru i ironii， ale ciężko było mi je wyczuć， a jak już były， to nie spełniały swojej roli。 Przekaz nie jest dla mnie jasny， zakończenie było średnie， ale poza tym dobra lektura。 （Raczej） do polecenia， 3 gwiazdki w kierunku 3。5 。。。more
Senem Sezer
，
Ben daha çok Reva gibi biri olduğum için onun hikayesini okumayı tercih edermişim gibi geldi 😅 Uyku kavramı ancak bu kadar güzel anlatılabilirdi ❤️ Depresyon üzerine okuduğum en iyi kitaplardan biriydi。
Amelia
，
Beautifully written， but made me sad for the most part。
bel :）
，
the way this was written really lets you feel how destructive the narrator is to herself， each page is filled with so much pain but the narrator fills it in with some sort of peace。 the ending surprised me and i think it needed more of an explanation。 the last line was :（
cassie poo
，
idk how to feel abt this lolll
Isabel Rosas
，
Todavía no sé cómo me siento al respecto。
chia
，
3。5
G
，
This is the oddest book I’ve ever read。 Maybe some more thoughts will come soon， but maybe they won’t。 I don’t know how I feel about this book and I don’t know how I feel about that。 I know nothing right now。 I can’t even bring myself to rate it。
Paola Adelina
，
unhinged。 absolutely loathed it。 10/10 would read it again。 —“and for a moment I felt joyful， and then I felt completely exhausted。”
Ruby
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I still do not really know what to think about this book。 On one hand， the main character was completely unlikeable。 On the other hand， I saw parts of myself in her and really empathized with her， to the point where I didn't even realize we didn't know her name until reading reviews after finishing the book。 The story really dragged in the middle， and I think the main reason I pushed through was because I wanted to see how it ended。 And yet the ending left much to be desired。 I wonder if Moshfeg I still do not really know what to think about this book。 On one hand， the main character was completely unlikeable。 On the other hand， I saw parts of myself in her and really empathized with her， to the point where I didn't even realize we didn't know her name until reading reviews after finishing the book。 The story really dragged in the middle， and I think the main reason I pushed through was because I wanted to see how it ended。 And yet the ending left much to be desired。 I wonder if Moshfegh chose to end on such an eerie note （and not even the 9/11 part， because I think we all saw that coming from the first mention of the World Trade Center， but the comment on someone falling from the towers as beautiful） just to be shocking。 I've also seen a lot of criticism of the main character's growth， mentioning how artificial it felt。 In attempting to understand the author， I think maybe the MC being healed after her four months of hibernation felt artificial because it was and was supposed to be。 As someone who struggled with depression myself， I know that when I begin feeling better after really bad low periods， I convince myself that I've figured it all out and experienced the worst of it。 But it's not that easy - depression is a lifelong struggle。 Eventually， what you actually realize is that the highs and lows and everything in between come and go， and that's life。 Your main options always remain the same: either do what you can with your one life or kill yourself。 And if you choose the former， you must keep choosing it。 And maybe part of that includes convincing yourself you'll never feel that low again。 Yet even if that was something that Moshfegh was trying to gesture at with her ending， I wish it would've been done in a way that felt a little bit more fleshed out and less abrupt。 Yet I'm still left thinking about the ending and the book overall， so if that was her goal， she succeeded there。Also， side note; the part at the end in the art museum felt kind of random to me。 I know she worked at an art studio and kind of talked about art throughout， but I didn't see any major thread that would culminate in this big paragraph about the meaning of art and artists' intentions。 I liked it though。 。。。more
Tasha
，
This girl needs therapy。
Kathryn Bebbington
，
TW: mental health， substance abuse ** I would not recommend this book if you are struggling with mental health right now。**The thin， wan， hollow face of a beautiful woman stands staring at you from a luxury apartment window; she doesn’t see you。 That’s the image that comes to mind when I think about this book。 The narrator is tall blond and gorgeous woman born into a life of wealth and privilege。 She seemingly has everything a person could ask for， but she has slowly been losing herself over the TW: mental health， substance abuse ** I would not recommend this book if you are struggling with mental health right now。**The thin， wan， hollow face of a beautiful woman stands staring at you from a luxury apartment window; she doesn’t see you。 That’s the image that comes to mind when I think about this book。 The narrator is tall blond and gorgeous woman born into a life of wealth and privilege。 She seemingly has everything a person could ask for， but she has slowly been losing herself over the last seven years since her parents died， （though they could hardly be considered “parents。”） She is depressed and deeply exhausted; so she decides to rest。 For a year。 She believes that after a year of rest and relaxation， she will be metaphorically reborn healed and healthy， and can begin a new life fresh。 But those are ambitious dreams。The story documents her self destruction and lethargic apathy over the course of that year。 Her only human contact is with her doorman who says “hello” and “have a good day ma’am，” the Egyptians who have a bodega next door， and Reva who is obsessed with our narrator for her beauty and wealth， and has taken it upon herself to be a friend who “checks in” several times weekly， but ends up mostly being an annoyance。 We watch as our narrator slowly loses and eventually finds herself again。 This is not a fun read。 It’s not an easy read。 The writing is intentionally crass and shocking。 Repulsive。 The narrator is vain， selfish， rude， and decidedly unlikable， even odious。 The story itself is slow， uneventful， depressing; the reader is brought into our narrators aimless miserable life and it can be taxing to read。 That being said。 It is an accurate depiction of what depression， mental illness， addiction， grief can look like。 The narrator is never named which makes it easy to see yourself in her and at times empathize with her。 I can’t tell you what captured me about this book。 I truly can’t think of a single “positive” aspect of it， except that for some reason I feel oddly lighter after reading it。 It was cathartic to hear someone else talk about their misery so unashamedly and realize that maybe she isn’t as awful a person as you’d like to think， maybe she’s just suffering and young and alone。 It made me want to be kinder to myself and others。 Maybe through this wretched story there are lessons to be learned。 。。。more
Macie Wright
，
I absolutely loved this book！ It was probably one of the strangest books I’ve ever read， but it was very well written and unique。 I loved how the author perfectly depicted depression。 It was very realistic and eye opening。 This was definitely a 5 star read and will most likely be one of my all time favorites。 Reva and the narrator’s relationship was a very good depiction of a toxic friendship。 The narrator was an absolutely insufferable woman。 But in a way I felt sorry for her。 I loved the way t I absolutely loved this book！ It was probably one of the strangest books I’ve ever read， but it was very well written and unique。 I loved how the author perfectly depicted depression。 It was very realistic and eye opening。 This was definitely a 5 star read and will most likely be one of my all time favorites。 Reva and the narrator’s relationship was a very good depiction of a toxic friendship。 The narrator was an absolutely insufferable woman。 But in a way I felt sorry for her。 I loved the way the characters were written。 This book has a absolute grip on me and I probably going to be thinking about it for the rest of my life。 Overall I definitely recommend reading this book！ 。。。more
Christy
，
Honestly amazed。 Thought the narrator was a horrible person but I also understood her？ Read this book very quickly bc i just liked to read her thoughts and read her words just talking about things。 The ending was also wow。
Lejla Džanko
，