My Year of Rest and Relaxation | REVIEW

[@leonardochingcuanco5368]

This is one of my absolute favorite books, and that's in no small part because of how well I think the last page ties everything together. I think the narrator sees the experience of the woman jumping from the tower as mirroring her own project. The plane hits, the building is on fire around the woman, and her only escape is to jump. She knows she can't possibly survive that jump, but her only alternative is to stay in another horrible, painful situation which will undoubtedly result in her death. Similarly, throughout the book the narrator is filled with self loathing and feels her life collapsing around her; it's a life she believes will kill her if she doesn't escape. So, the narrator ultimately takes her own leap of faith, consuming an insane concoction of drugs and hibernating (which we as readers also think would undoubtedly result in her death IRL) so that she can emerge reborn on the other side. Apart from the parallelism, it's also just such an incredible way for Moshfegh to end the book. Of course a book titled "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" and set in 2000-2001 New York will feature 9/11 and that knowledge, even if it's lurking in the background among the other plot elements, helps drive the book forward. Then when you get to it, somehow the narrator manages to turn that event into just another lens through which to see herself. Even after the narrator's renewal, the book doesn't tie everything up neatly with her becoming "good." But I think that encourages the reader to reflect on the narrator's experience and motivations, instead of simply whether they like her or not. Also, I know I'm several years late leaving this comment, but I love this book so much and use it, along with several others, as a benchmark for whether a reviewer is interested in books for at least some of the same reasons that I am. Suffice it to say, I thought your review was really great!

[@zippygundoo5852]

The last page hits you right between the eyes. And for me, made the book. Loved it.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

That's a great way to put it! I totally agree.

[@RickMacDonnell]

You are just ridiculously articulate, Claire. Always look forward to your reviews. I was only vaguely aware of this one, and I'm definitely intrigued by it now. I can't for the life of my understand how this is more than 300 pages, though. Does that much really happen? Does it drag at all, or did you find the length just right?

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks, Rick! I can totally understand why this book might not be for everyone, but if you're interested, I would recommend skimming the first few pages (you'll probably know pretty quickly if it's your kind of thing). And my library copy (US edition) was only 289 pages, and the text had a lot of breathing room (it seemed like they typeset it that way to raise the page count)...and things do happen when she blacks out (there are also a number of flashbacks), so it's not just about her being asleep the whole time. It dragged a little in the middle (they probably could have cut it down by 30-40 pages), but it picks back up again by the end.

[@jennahumphrey1]

The last page made me rethink the novel, too. I was ready to dismiss it until then as rambling, cynical nihilism. I liked what she did there a lot.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Same! I think it added depth to the whole thing (otherwise it would've just been a book with really good writing/voice, which is great but only goes so far for me) :)

[@CuriousReader]

Such a thoughtful review! I was watching Ottessa Moshfegh's talks right before this and some of what you said really reflected her own thoughts on this book as well. I'm almost itching to pick it up again now!

[@michaeldangify]

I discovered your post after recently reading Relaxation. (I know, I'm late to the game, but I'm now a bit obsessed with Moshfegh's writing.) Your analysis and articulation = wonderful. I really hope some big producer discovers you because you really do deserve a much larger platform!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

thanks so much! :)

[@mikegseclecticreads]

Enjoyed looping back to this older review today as I just finished the book a few days ago myself! Lots of what you had to say here resonates. I don't have any coherent thoughts on the last page, but the way the whole hibernation project wraps up so quickly and neatly actually felt strangely appropriate to me. I did find myself pretty dismissive of the narrator for much of the book as just totally irredeemable, but by the end I had started looking a bit deeper. In a lot of ways (not least of all that bold pink title text!) the book all feels just a little over the top, but in a way that's both intentional and successful. It's also super readable despite at times feeling really monotonous, which sounds very strange to say. The passages where she just lists long sequences of movies she watched and drugs she took trying to fall asleep some night ... they seem like terrible writing in most contexts, but here they just work excellently. Also it took me until almost the end of the book to realize infermiterol was fictitious, since all the other drugs were real ... I just kept thinking "how do real people actually survive when taking this thing?" Although I enjoyed it, I'm not sure I liked the book quite as much as you did, but I appreciated the author's skill in writing it and am now curious about her other work. Thanks for the review!

[@jenniferibarrola5290]

I wish you have a podcast! 💗📚

[@morallycorruptmaleficentti1194]

I read this book and tbh it wasnt for me. Im glad I found your review bc i was thinking the same thing, its an exaggerated tale to kind of push the narrative of what it feels like to be depressed. It reminded me of the bit in "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tart when the protagonist is drugged up in a room. Its very loopy and leaves you unsure of whats really going on. It felt like that reading it but extended to a whole book, which imo didnt really need to be done to that extent but i guess it was needed because a lot of people absolutely love this book. I do think Moshfegh is a great writer and i cant wait to read her other books. This book gave me just enough liking to her writing that i want to see what else does she have. Do you have any suggestions by chance?

[@sofispratt2931]

The best review I’ve seen of this book!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

thank you! :)

[@tumblrtrash]

i'm going through a weird time in my life and your review was so enlightening i DEFINITELY think this is the perfect read for me right now and i should pick it up ASAP! thank you so much for this amazing review!

[@tumblrtrash]

returning to this video after i've finished! (SPOILERS) i was curious to see what mosfegh was going to do with the ending of the book since i unfortunately became bored in the middle (ever since reva's mother's funeral the narrator was rambling on too long and not much was happening) and i was on the edge of my seat for the last couple of pages. in my opinion, mosfegh dropped several hints that the book would wrap up like that. when the narrator was running to reva's apartment after she stole all her medication, i thought she had overdosed and died. i also thought something was hinting when she returned home after working with pang xi and described a feeling of GAS in the air. the last sentence hit me way too hard because i honestly was not expecting that ending, and the fact that it ends RIGHT after that sentence. our narrator had been clearing things out of her life (dvds, furniture, clothes, etc) and perhaps felt somewhat liberated that reva was out of her life? i mean, what a morbid, yet symbolic ending? i'm still so shocked and want to know more about what you think! it dragged on WAY too much those last 50 pages but the ending gives it five stars for me.

[@bookishsabrina]

Ok, so I'm coming back to this video now that I've read it and I'm trying to synthesize my thoughts. I was going to read Eileen but then my library hold came through. Hooray! SPOILERS AHOY I wanted to touch on your query about the last page. I wasn't entirely surprised by it happening, but rather the execution. When Reva starts working in the Twin Towers, my first thought was just "oh no." You know what's going to happen. And the distinct tonal shift said to me that seeing Reva, or at least who she perceives to be Reva, jumping out of the building was the wake up call the narrator needed. It completely shifted my perspective on the book as a whole. Rather than being a dramatic face-punch about depression and coping buried under a sea of Robitussin and a cocktail of booze and sleeping pills, it was the story of a complex and unhealthy friendship. I could see all of the traces of remorse that Moshfegh had sprinkled throughout the text in the scenes with Reva. It left me hoping that our protagonist would be able to start confronting reality, and that she was actually reborn, just not in the way she had anticipated or wanted. She's forced to confront her previous shitty behavior and learn not to take some of her privileges so for granted.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Ahh, so great to hear your thoughts!! I wasn't surprised by the last page either (it's telegraphed from a ways away), but I was surprised by that last sentence and how much it hit me in the gut...it's definitely a tonal shift and also colored how I looked back at the rest of the book-and I like the idea of reading it as a story about a complicated friendship. I think the narrator and Reva are such perfect foils for each other, and that last sentence made me think...what does it mean that Reva, in the moment right before death, is more alive and awake than the narrator has been for most of her life? Is this also the most alive Reva has ever been (like the narrator, she's stuck in her own bad, self-eliminating cycles, too). Definitely a wake-up call...and maybe a little too sudden a tonal shift, but I still found it quite effective.

[@DsRelaxingSounds]

I really like this interpretation.

[@farmergloomy]

Thanks for your discussion of this book, Claire! Your take is always interesting. I am perpetually tired, never sleep enough (there's to much to read!), and this book really interests me. The only thing I've read by Moshfegh in the past is the short novel McGlue, in which the protagonist is disorientedly drunk for most of the book. Interesting parallel to My Year Of Rest And Relaxation. I will read this one: I have to read that last sentence!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I haven't read anything else by Moshfegh, but I've heard that her protagonists are always a bit prickly and less than likable - but she seems to write them so well! I hope you find this one interesting :)

[@gowrigouda9743]

Glad I found the world of booktube after researching this book. I agree, I wish there was more information about why she thought that a year of sleeping would solve her problems. I personally felt the ending was very unsatisfactory. It seemed convenient that her reckless and delusional goal to sleep away her problems worked, but we don’t get to see any more of the aftermath.

[@riohayashi97]

Your review hit the nail right on the head. I completely agree with what you thought were strengths (the narrator's disdainful but delightful and extremely human voice) and weakness (dragging in the middle, and the abruptness of the tonal shift). I was also not entirely surprised with the events that conclude the novel, but was surprised by the sudden enlightenment (although, this suddenness is, in an essence, realistic, because in real life, transition and shifts in mindset can often times happen out of nowhere and can never be pinpointed to what exactly caused it). The last sentence, I replaced, as her--the narrator. That was her, in the last sentence, metaphorically.

[@thresholden]

I think it's very cheap to end at 9/11 and not go past it. If she really wants to make an unlikable and disgusting character, have her react to that event selfishly and that would be a brave dark comedy. As is 9/11 as a plot device for the protagonist to "wake up" felt incredibly unearned. Though, I honestly don't know what to make of her last sentence. Is that the author saying that the protagonist learned to love Reva or is she jealous that Reva is dying because she can't bring herself to commit suicide? Thoughts here?

[@mewojdjdj3946]

greatly put! that last part actually kindof just rot the whole book to me. Thats how she interpreted Revas death?

[@vivianward]

*spoilers* i felt like i was reading this book through a 9/11 filter the entire time. i wonder if any other readers had this experience. for awhile i thought her year off would overlap 9/11, and that that would be a major plot point, especially when Reva revealed that she'd gotten a job in the twin towers. in the end i was glad that wasn't the case. i was satisfied by the ending but i do wonder if her feeling of renewal was tarnished in any way after such a tragedy. great review, by the way! i just found your channel and i really like it.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Mmm, yes, I think the way the book deals with 9/11 is really interesting, and I almost think that it maybe helps serve as the "wake up call" she needs (although we won't know what effect it has on her, because the book ends on 9/11)...but I thought it was a great, sad way to cement the differences between her and Reva (she's been asleep while Reva, about to die, is "wide awake")

[@PunkyDory80]

I have this on my TBR, but I wanted to see what others were saying. I was glad to see your review on my feed, because you are always so thorough and thoughtful in your critiques. It sounds so strange and intriguing.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

It's definitely an interesting one (I think you'll know within the first couple pages if it's a book for you!)

[@wernfried2866]

Great review, love your discourse. One expression struck me: ... like drinking battery acid, but in a good way ? ??? Kind of hard to imagine, still a great line 🙃🙂 Keep it up!

[@JasmineReads]

I’ve seen this book everywhere but, somehow, I never actually knew what it was about it. So this was great! And your review, as always, was so interesting to listen to. Thank you😊

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I didn't really know what it was about, either! But the cover really sucks you in ;)

[@bookishnaturenook.]

I have this to read, I couldn’t resist that cover. Loved hearing your thoughts on this too!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

The cover is so good! I'm glad the book lived up to it, haha

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Fantastic review! I've not read this book, or anything by Ottessa Moshfegh, but it sounds really interesting if slightly trippy.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

It's really interesting...it's a great premise, and Moshfegh runs with it in cool and surprising ways :)

[@tortoisedreams6369]

Well, i assume that top was no accident ... is it pre-millennial pink? & sleeping for a year sounds great to me! The hibernation you describe sounds like something many do after some serious hurt, but usu including Ben & Jerry's ... I'll read this when it falls into my hands, if only to read that last page! You were really on fire here ("a finance jockstrap named ...") ("swallowing battery acid ... but in a good way"). Ha! Your videos are just too good!

[@thuntz29]

tortoise dreams they are so good!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Haha, of course not! ;) And yeah...I love sleep, too, and I thought it was interesting how this book explored the line where you cross over from loving a good nap and enter "burrowing away from the world" territory (I have definitely experienced both, lol!)

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

It's Xennial pink! I believe Moshfehg is the same age as Elif Batuman, also with a famously pink cover. They're both in the between generation. I'm gonna buy this with my birthday giftcards, I always get a few.

[@Amy_Yuki_Vickers]

When is your birthday?

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

coming up, September 8

[@Amy_Yuki_Vickers]

@@LauraFreyReadinginBed Mine just passed, about a month ago.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Exactly! Xennial is a great term for those in-betweeners (I hadn't heard that before). Can't wait to hear what you think, Laura (and yay for September birthdays!)

[@Amy_Yuki_Vickers]

Thank you for this review. It sounds fascinating.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks, Amy!

[@bookishsabrina]

I want to read this so much. The premise sounded fascinating from the very first time I heard about it, and your brief analysis and discussion have made me all the more intrigued. I will probably read Eileen first, because I already own it and I want the hype of this one to die down a little. I am on the library hold list, but it looks as though it will be at least another couple of months before I get my turn. I adored the author's writing in Homesick for Another World, so I cannot wait to see how she tackles this one. I think it is my cup of tea for sure. I am disappointed that the US cover has removed the woman's nipples that are visible in the original painting (why do we fear women's nipples so much??), and I also loved your use of the title "jockstrap." Fantastic review, as always! :D

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one if you end up reading it! A couple of my friends just read Homesick for Another World and both really liked it, and with your praise on top of that, I think that'll be my next Moshfegh. I was wondering about the nips, too, and then I heard Moshfegh say in an interview that they were photoshopped out because Amazon won't feature books on their home page if they feature (women's?) nipples (goddamn Amazon, as if they weren't already enough of a problem!)

[@tumblyhomecarolinep7121]

I just finished this book. Like Eileen I can’t get this book out of my head. I loved it...but at times I felt almost voyeuristic because it was so raw. I agree it was outlandish and I hope people don’t put the book down because of that. The book says so much. I thought the last paragraph was perfect and yes, a punch in the stomach. Very very well done I thought. Regarding the end of hibernation.. maybe abrupt but not in a bad way. I loved this book.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

So glad you liked it, too! Thanks for sharing these great thoughts :) Have you read Homesick for Another World? I think I might read that one before Eileen.

[@AmyPool]

This book has really intrigued me and I really enjoyed your review. Sleep is so interesting, I feel most stories that involve sleep are often the lack of it, rather than this which is borderline too much. I will definitely have to get my hands on this one!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yes, this book is definitely an exploration of "too much of a good thing," haha :D

[@jasminejames8579]

I've just discovered your channel, and I love the way you talk about books. You articulate your thoughts really well. I didn't really get on with Eileen, but I've been meaning to pick this one up for a while now.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks so much, Jasmine! I haven't read Eileen, but I've heard that My Year of Rest and Relaxation, while still filled with super unlikable characters, maybe has a little more heart and tenderness to it than Eileen does.

[@whatpageareyouon]

Did I never comment on this??? I come back to watch this sometimes because it's such a good review, and I look at this book a bit differently since reading it myself. I think "lurking" is the perfect word for this, and I do feel like there is this separate in-between that I'm reading some sort of book about the narrator and her thoughts and then I'm reading another book taking place at the same time but about Ottessa Moshfegh the writer writing this book, if that makes sense? I remember feeling somewhat sedated myself reading this, and it wasn't until a few days ago that the tone of this book reminds me of something like a Sofia Coppola film, a la Lost in Translation, maybe? To me, I think the last page about You Know What was to reflect the general mentality and sort of sedated-ness everyone was in because we have yet to experience something so confrontational to our livelihood. Well done, but sort of presented like an afterthought to me, unless that's also a contribution to the themes here? Anyway, at least we can all agree Trevor is garbage

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Aw, thanks, Alex! That's so interesting! I hadn't thought about that in-between space between the narrative and Ottessa Moshfegh the writer-although I have watched some interviews with her, and she definitely seems to be an interesting, sharp, no-bullshit kind of person. And the Sofia Coppola comparison is so interesting-the narrator here indulges in ways that are a bit Marie Antoinette-esque, but it seems like Moshfegh pushes every decadent to a grosser extreme that Coppola doesn't cross into. And "confrontational"-that's a great way to summarize the events of that last page (thank you!). I definitely saw it coming but am still parsing through how it colors my view of the rest of the book (it was effective but also a little bit tacked on, I agree).

[@thuntz29]

I’ve never been much interested in Moshfegh but I could get along with a year of hibernation. As always your review is wonderful!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I can definitely see how she might not be everyone's cup of tea-but I found the premise so interesting, and I thought she executed it really well!

[@nadiazeemeeuw8650]

This book doesn’t let me go since I’ve read it. I can see why our protagonist seems unlikable character to everyone - as all Moshfegh’s characters by the way. I think though she’s just a person dealing with severe depression in her own unique way. She’s not ugly, this is her unhappiness which is ugly. When she has been sleepwalking somehow she could release true kind herself. So her whole project with the locked door became some kind of therapy and we ended up with the new born protagonist. When I recall all these different unhappy characters from Moshfegh’s short story collection (which I can’t put off my head either) I think they all need this metaphorical hibernation. About last page - I see it like culmination of her earning for this feeling to be present, to be awake and alive. Because what she’s doing all this time of her year of rest and relaxation is trying release herself from true hibernation which is meaningless and ugliness of her life. I enjoyed your review a lot. Thank you, Claire!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks so much for sharing these thoughts-I totally agree, and I loved how Moshfegh took this intriguing premise and used it to explore a real and complex condition like depression.

[@JayShayy]

Reading Saul Bellow's Herzog at the moment and your description of this book seems very similar to my reaction to it. Great review!

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Ooh, interesting, I'll have to check that out!

[@MsGloomyLamp]

Love the colour coordination :) Always interesting to hear your thoughts.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Haha, thanks! ;)

[@lexicon50505]

Perfect review. I can’t get the story out my head. She is such a biting writer but also someone who is growing. Just as you note the narrator offers some real complexity and even an ounce sympathy that was missing somewhat in Eileen.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Yeah, I really enjoyed the sharpness of the writing and narration, but I don't know that I'm going to rush out to read the rest of her books...I will definitely check them out at some point, but I've heard the characters are maybe even more unlikable and shocking...and I thought the shades of tenderness and the humanity at the end of this book made it more than just shock/snark, so I'm not sure what I would have thought about it if that element hadn't been present.

[@dsweet_library]

I started reading this a month ago but don't think I was in the right headspace. Perhaps I was reading it superficially. I did plan on attempting to read it again. I was really into your assessment of it. Maybe I'll read it sooner rather than later.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I'll be curious to hear what you think if you circle back to it (but I also get why not everyone would like it...it is a bitter of a bitter pill to swallow, haha) :)

[@booksandpizza]

Thank you for your awesome review! I was already interested in this book but you definitely renewed my interest ☺️

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I'm so glad! :)

[@TamGolde]

Dear Claire, thank you for your great reviews! I appreciate that your reviews are concise and to the point, rather than some other book channels which often tend to be rambly long monologues. I initially found your channel when I googled reviews of Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur (glad that I am not the only one disliking it). I just finished My Year of Rest and Relaxation and I agree with much of your review. However I find the ending a bit too aprupt and "neat"...

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks so much for this very nice comment-I try to keep things thoughtful and to the point, so I'm glad you're enjoying the videos! I also found the ending of My Year of Rest and Relaxation a bit abrupt (but kind of in a good way-it was a bit of a gut punch), but I wondered if the pathos of the ending was really earned...still mulling that one over, but I still loved the book as a whole. I hope you have a great reading year in 2019 :)

[@TamGolde]

@@ClaireReadsBooks thank you! I hope you have a great 2019 too!

[@clairepaley6735]

Really enjoyed your feedback on this novel, which has been in my peripheral vision for a few months. I had wondered if it was worth the time, thank you.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks, Claire! :)

[@spinstercatlady]

New sub here, really enjoying your channel! I've seen this book around a lot, and it interested me because the cover looked like a strangely modern Regency era heroine lol, but I kept forgetting to look it up. Very glad you reviewed it, and now I'm even more fascinated by the premise! Going to be checking this book out very soon...perhaps an entire Labor Day weekend sleeping and reading in between 😂

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Thanks for stopping by, Shawna! The cover is so eye-catching (definitely half the reason I picked it up, haha)...but the story is great, too ;) Let me know what you think whenever you end up reading it!

[@spinstercatlady]

@@ClaireReadsBooks I actually finished reading it last night lol (went straight to the library to pick it up). I loved the writing and the story was so wacky it kept me turning pages. My only issue was the ending. It was tied up a bit too neatly with almost too dramatic a turnaround. It definitely left me with a "book hangover". Glad I read it!

[@katekulinski937]

Maybe I'm just reading into it but Reva and the narrator had a weirdly... homoerotic relationship at points in the book? Like when they're watching porn and Reva kisses her and then the narrator says she loves her before blacking out for a few days. And then once she wakes up she says she's been "recently aroused". It just feels subtexty haha.

[@1book1review]

added to the wish list, thanks.

[@SaraiTalksBooks]

"like swallowing battery acid, but in a good way" Ok, I have to read an excerpt from this book, stat. Also, I can't believe that 2000 was 18 years ago, I feel so old. :(

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I know! Time is a bitch 😩

[@dariusmendoza880]

@@ClaireReadsBooks That was a hilarious line Claire. I never knew that there was a good way of swallowing battery acid. Taking small sips right now. Haha.

[@mimia.4810]

and I'm exactly 18 years old.

[@wanderingyourway3163]

I honestly, either did not understand the ending or can't understand it in deeper sense. Can anyone explain please?

[@mewojdjdj3946]

I feel like the whole point was for us to think that the narrator was such a horrid person and friend but later you start to understand why she does what she does because Reva was her uptight opposite that tried too hard to be good. That being said the last part of the book kindof really did make it clear that she was a “bad friend” and that maybe somehow all along Reva was always the underdog.

[@Number1Dougster]

Thanks for the review. I'm definitely going to check this book out even though I found "Eileen" to be rather dull & disappointing.

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

I haven't tried Eileen yet but have head that MYORAR is a little more accessible, for whatever that's worth :)

[@rayanoire1446]

last page was so confusing

[@AshishKumar-sr5qs]

Me : on the way to bookstore

[@ClaireReadsBooks]

Woo!

[@Lama-i7q]

This is called summary not review

[@marlenecabada8731]

Claire, I really liked your review of this book.Now I know that its not my cup of tea.I need a book to inspire me,challenge me or teach me something.This book sounds like a waste of time invested.

[@Lee-uz1tz]

"Finance jockstrap" :D