My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Timmy Mac June 11, 2026
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Finished reading: My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh 📚 This book is not my usual fare - contemporary literary fiction. But users with whom I share favorites on Pagebound all seem to like it, and I am keenly aware of the dude-centric nature of most of my reading, so I thought it would be worth expanding my horizons a bit. I’m really glad I did, though I do need to sit with my thoughts a little before writing any kind of coherent review. The short version is that somewhere along the line, I began to understand why the narrator was doing what she’s doing, and I began to root for her to find her way out. 9/11 looms large in this story, but in a strangely prescient way, like maybe there’s a sense that things are going to change soon and we’ll leave this phase of life behind. I don’t know. The ending really struck me between the eyes and I’m working through it. I will look for more of Moshfegh’s work, though. She’s super skilled and very funny.

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