My year of rest and relaxation

288 pages

English language

Published July 10, 2018 by Penguin.

ISBN:
978-0-525-52211-9
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1007559349

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (88 reviews)

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.

9 editions

It kind of slayed, despite the lack of plot

4 stars

This was very interesting…the book touches on things like the art world, mental health, rich people, and even the simple act of lying, and brings in such beautifully written and very interesting ideas about all of those things. The writing was so good, I was literally thinking and talking in the style it’s written in for a while. But the characters were insufferable, and I got kind of bored in the middle, so I think 3.5 stars is a good rating.

Review of 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

4/5

This book grew on me towards the end. The idea of a privileged, selfish woman trying to achieve rebirth by 'hibernating' is not one I've come across (if anyone has, I would very much like to know more). I think it's even more interesting for such a vain and shallow character to make such a decision. It's absolutely absurd and it would be impossible if it weren't for her financial stability—at the expense of being orphaned and receiving a handsome inheritance—it's all so outrageous and ironic!

A recommend for anyone who likes books that make it difficult for you to decide whether you hate them or love them.

R&R

3 stars

1) "I had started 'hibernating' as best I could in mid-June of 2000. I was twenty-four years old. I watched summer die and autumn turn cold and gray through a broken slat in the blinds. My muscles withered. The sheets on my bed yellowed, although I usually fell asleep in front of the television on the sofa, which was from Pottery Barn and striped blue and white and sagging and covered in coffee and sweat stains.

I didn't do much in my waking hours besides watch movies. I couldn't stand to watch regular television. Especially at the beginning, TV aroused too much in me, and I'd get compulsive about the remote, clicking around, scoffing at everything and agitating myself. I couldn't handle it. The only news I could read were the sensational headlines on the local daily papers at the bodega. I'd quickly glance at them as I paid for …

Review of 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

Thought the writing was decent enough but simply could not relate to the narrator and felt I got nothing from reading this book. Discussed it with a friend after we both read it. She said she loved it until the very last line which made her feel enraged. For me, the entire book felt flat, including that very last line. I wonder what Tricia Hersey would think of this book.

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Subjects

  • Fiction
  • Solitude
  • American Psychological fiction
  • Medication abuse
  • Quacks and quackery

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