Israa Zayed, Features Editor
This article references sexually explicit scenes from Ottessa Moshfegh’s “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” and mentions grooming.
Ottessa Moshfegh is no stranger to writing odd books. From her dark medieval fantasy novel “Lapvona” to the twisting mysteries behind “Eileen,” she has something for people who seek something away from the norm.
The more I got into reading as a young adult, the weirder most books got. One of the first odd yet fascinating books I got into was Moshfegh’s “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” published in 2018. It initially gained popularity on TikTok for its peculiar nature which urged people to pick it up. While I was late to the trend, I still checked out the book from Libby, an online library app. And I was immediately entertained, despite its quirks. This says a lot considering the fact that my attention span has been fried since the age of 13 thanks to short-form media consumption.
The book features the female main character (FMC), a young, unnamed protagonist who lives in New York (the dream, right?). She is unemployed, so she has ample time to do nothing. And she does exactly that: nothing. Her routine consists of her taking her medication, becoming more unemployed and hanging out with her “best friend” Reeva, whom she does not really like. They have been friends since their junior year of college and are connected by their memories rather than an actual desire to be connected to one another through friendship. This is the most complex relationship the book presents because while the FMC is apathetic, Reeva is loyal, which leaves the two to repeat their cycles of arguing and jealousy.
The FMC’s main objective throughout the book is to go to sleep. She has gotten so fed up with life; she is miserable and she survived off of downers, bad coffee, animal crackers and alcohol. Both of her parents died when she was in college, and she later goes to a therapist for her grievances but only gets more medication that acts as an escape. At this point, she has completely abandoned her dreams of being an artist or being a functioning adult.
When the FMC starts talking about her relationship with a man named Trevor, who is 15 years older than her, it gets a little uncomfortable. She was clearly groomed, and even as an adult, the way she talked about what happened to her in a detached yet somehow reminiscent tone is odd and shows how deep the FMC’s issues go. Trevor hated treating women, and according to the main character, he was arrogant and not very good in bed. As the FMC goes on to describe her ex, she admits that, if she had met him later on, she would have thought he was gay. Not sure if this better describes Trevor or the protagonist herself.
Now, my favorite and the weirdest part of the book is the FMC’s obsession with Whoopi Goldberg. This is next level stuff, the reader cannot go more than one chapter at most without mention of the actress. The FMC even masterbates while watching a Whoopi Goldberg movie. Like I had mentioned before, this book is outright odd.
This whole novel is a rollercoaster, and, for the amount of scathing reviews it received for its controversial ending, I think it was done very well in its own way. The main character is selfish and apathetic in her attempts to escape from reality. She is unpleasant and uncaring for those around her, and while some might say that she is this way because of her past, there is argument to be made that other people go through the same, if not worse, and do not turn out the way she did.
If you are a fan of unlikeable main characters with no character development and a strange obsession with Whoopi Goldberg, perhaps this novel is for you.