My Year of Rest and Relaxation: The cult New York Times bestseller

I just finished My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, and it was an intriguing read. The story follows a young woman in New York City who decides to embark on a year-long journey of hibernation through sleep and pharmaceuticals. Moshfegh's writing is sharp and darkly humorous, capturing the complexities of modern life, loneliness, and the search for meaning. I found the protagonist both relatable and frustrating, which made for a compelling narrative. The book offers a fresh perspective on self-care and the extremes one might go to in order to escape reality. It’s definitely a thought-provoking novel that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page!

Liked how the narrator explores the concept of alienation but after a few pages it really gets boring :(

In a world full of goal-oriented, ultra-ambitious go-getters, there are also people who are perfectly content with a slower-paced life—people who don't dream of becoming the CEO of a company or filling every weekend with plans and social outings.In my twenties, I was definitely the first kind of person. I was driven, ambitious, and constantly chasing the next thing. But somewhere along the way, I changed. Sometimes it feels like I used up so much of my energy back then that now all I want is to rest, recover, and simply be. I'm not sure how many people can relate to that feeling.Maybe that's why I picked up My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I find myself relating to the protagonist more than I expected—not necessarily in every way, but in how exhaustion and grief can seep into your life and make you feel deeply tired. The book captures that strange desire to withdraw from the world for a while and recover from things that aren't always visible on the surface. Sleep is very comforting when you are in pain.

We all love some offbeat characters. Infact, aren't we all unlikeable in some way or the other? But we try to calculate our moves, measure our speech. Ottessa Moshfegh captures this very well with our unnamed narrator being all weak and desperate before her on-off domineering boyfriend and malevolent and curt towards her 'best friend' Reva. My year of rest and relaxation is a story of a 26 year old woman who decides to take a year off.. 'life' basically and hibernate. She has it all planned out; a psychiatrist who would keep regularly supplying her pills, prepayment of bills and enough money in her bank account. Apart from her coffee trips to the bodega her human interactions would be limited to her psychiatrist and her unwelcomed friend. She would wake up to watch Whoopi Goldberg movies and fall asleep again consuming another set of pills.You keep flipping the pages of this book as swiftly as that of a high fashion magazine; not because of the plot, infact there isn't any nail-biting plot but just repetitive acts of pill intakes by our narrator while ignoring Reva incessantly body shaming herself. But that is what is captivating about this book. Ottessa Moshfegh has hands down become one of my favourite writers because of the way she has captured the mental health issues of the narrator- while we as readers know about her ongoing collapse the narrator herself continues to be in denial and hopes that sleeping the year off would help her rejuvenate herself. "I felt myself float up and away, higher and higher into the ether until my body was just an anecdote, a symbol, a portrait hanging in another world". Poetic much?Daddy issues, psychoanalytical quotes, neoclassical art fetish, masochism, this novel has got it all.If I've convinced you enough to pick up this murky and more of a character study novel, make sure you have a glass of wine handy because Moshfegh writes without any inhibitions

First of alll, about the purchase, the delivery and the condition of the book was perfect and tidy.About the book, it's not a book for everyone, its a book that if you get it , YOU GET IT . However, I loved this book , I found the protagonist mean and sarcastic and I liked it.

Absolutely loved this book. It was funny with no particular plot but a very unique concept. (Just vibes)The (anti) protagonist here is a privileged, rich adult living in the year 2000 who is in denial of her depression and is calling it her year of rest and relaxation. The way the story is narrated will absolutely have the readers convinced that she's fine.She's fed up of society and socializing (honestly same).This book is witty for most of the part and our (anti) heroine is everything that the society doesn't like in a woman- in short she has a personality. Most of you will hate her (she looks and has the aura of the classic mean girl) but honestly I've liked her from the start. Not for being a privileged rich adult ( how can she be privileged, she's an orphan now), but I understand her need for rest and her need for not interacting with anyone.Also this depicts the serious problem of drug abuse that America faces on regular basis. There's just all kinds of addiction surrounding America which is it's downfall honestly.Along with this, the whole book revolves around sickness and death and the grief that it brings along with it.Apart from the theme, the best part is the narrator, that is the protagonist herself.

Decent product.Received in good condition.Paper quality isn't that good considering the price. It was a bit dull.Delivery was a hassle as it was fulfilled by the seller. It was lost in transit. Had to contact customer care.However received on time.

Keep in mind: This is not a spoiler because the text verbs and choice of words identifies that the narrator is speaking PAST TENSE.The book starts off with her remembering the said year when her slumber began. These events ALREADY HAPPENED — we are learning them from her - a time frame beyond the title.Many of the reviews I’ve read criticized the book for being redundant, disgusting, or confusing. Mentions of ableist due to talks of retardation, etc. I don’t see it that way.That language reflects who the main character is: blunt, short-worded, harsh, and unfiltered. We learn this from the very beginning.Yes, this book delivers exactly what the summary promises. Our main character is sleeps away a year due based off many reasons to her. HOWEVER—if you’ve ever experienced depression or serious mental health struggles, you understand where she’s coming from. And I mean real depression, grief, apathy, disgust with the world—not simply “being sad” or “needing to get a grip.” Her attempt to drug herself into a year-long sleep is exaggerated, but not so unrealistic when you consider her mental state.Her end goal was to wake up as a new person. Believes that this project will set her up to be ready to “live again” when she awakens.Why does this matter? If you have ever:• Grieved: that made others uncomfortable• Felt annoyed/overwhelmed others concern• Realized too late what you had• Experienced true emotional numbness…then you understand this narrator. She has a nihilistic view of the world—apathy, emptiness, and a desire to escape without wanting to die.TONE: flat, emotionless, and repetitive. Why? Because that is how the narrator felt during that era. She is speaking from reflecting on a time in her life that she numbed from.This book clearly creates a split in readers depending on their life experiences and expectations:Opinion A: Enjoyed the book, appreciates the darkness, bleakness, and irony, understands the narrator’s background.Opinion B: Hated the book, found it gross, dehumanizing, regrets buying it, and believes it glorifies drugging oneself into oblivion.Opinion C: Neutral, found it okay, nothing special, nothing terrible.It’s obvious the author wrote this for a specific audience. She beautifully captures how life catches up fast, how people change, and how certain experiences shape us.DIFFERENT FROM YOUR TYPICAL “coming-of-age” novel. This is NOT that. This is narrating a past event where she slept for a whole year and what she got out of it. Most average readers are not the target audience.If you prefer happy endings, or filtered positivity, this is not your book. If you read the summary and then feel shocked that you are reading darkness… I’m not sure what to tell you.The narrator is also clearly OLDER RETELLING THE PAST: indicates she was (x) amount of years old during that year of her project. She was young and not where society expects emotional maturity or closure. She’s counting to her mistakes and behavior in ways that are messy or socially unacceptable. That’s real life. Things happen & it changes people. This novel simply shows what usually happens behind closed doors and within the mind.ALL IN ALL: I loved this book. I understand the main character. The juxtaposition and character foils work well. It’s straightforward with predictable outcomes—but that’s exactly what the summary sets up, so I don’t understand why some reviewers are confused. Sometimes it takes a jarring, painful awakening to make you feel differently about living.

The book came sealed. I’m very happy

Skit bra bok, kunde inte lägga ner den

Such good prose and bone dry comedy, for this alone it’s more than worth the read. But this is a book that plumbs the depths by attending to the surface. In this sense it’s on a par with something like,say, ‘Lolita’. The unnamed narrator is rich, troubled and young. She decides one day to sleep her way through the mourning that can’t be done for her dead parents and loveless childhood. It’s a book about regression and addiction, written through the jaded gaze of someone squinting against the too-harsh light of reality. Assisting her down the wormhole is the gloriously insane Dr Tuttle. The finale is a curiosity and unexpectedly optimistic, but ultimately ambiguous. What is it to sleep through life- what is it to remain wide awake?

This is by far the best read of my year 2022-2023! This is dark, funny and insightful. The way it is written is so spéciale et délicieux, vraiment j'adore!! I found myself laughing out loud multiple times!! So sarcastic and witty!Dear fellow readers I totally recommend. Please give it a try!! Love you.