By Ottessa Moshfegh
SPOILER-FREE
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?
REVIEW
THEMES: CONTEMPORARY, TENSE, DARK, HUMOROUS, MEDIUM-PACED.
Even with a life of comfort, she cannot seem to be happy. She lives off her dead mother’s inheritance and has the emotional support of her best friend. But still, something is missing. All that keeps her going is the pills her unorthodox psychiatrist prescribes her. Until one day, she has an insane, but brilliant epiphany.
The protagonist in this story is nameless, hence the pronouns in the overview.
I am not a fan of books that are heavy with mania and lack clarification or character development. At first, this book seemed to follow that bleak pattern – until Moshfegh breathes life into the plot by redirecting the story completely.
The idea she comes up with is fascinating and rather satisfying. I am pleasantly surprised with how this story unfolds. Unfortunately, I cannot speak too much on what I like as it spoils it. What I will say, is it redeems the first half of the book.
I do not mind a bit of cyclical depression which forces the reader to feel the protagonist’s misery. However, it drags on – it makes its point but then continues past its expiry date. I also was not a fan of the Whoopi Goldberg obsession, it felt out-of-place and silly. I can’t help but respect randomness though.
Despite the main characters grim habits, she has a certain charm. Moshfegh paints over her dismal lifestyle with a dry humour and matter-of-fact perspective, which alleviates the bleaker elements of the book. I felt like I was able to root for the character.
This is definitely a book for those who enjoy psychological fiction. It is like Boy Parts, but with more clarity.
Click link below for Storygraph overview, which includes general rating, summary (same as above) and other reviews.