My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh is the third book we will be reading for BookofCinz Book Club. I read this book back in November 2018 and I remember having so many feelings towards the main character and how she approached life. There’s a lot to be discussed, this is a book you will either really love or strongly dislike and that’s what makes a book club selection good….right?
We will be meeting on a weekly basis to discuss the book via Instagram. This weekly discussion is for the persons who can’t make the in person meet up happening on Wednesday March 27th, 2019 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Here are the four reasons why My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh was selected as the third BookOfCinz Bookclub book.
Short, “Light” Read
One of the feedback I received was that the two previous books selected were very heavy and “depressing” in some parts, can we select a book that is more breezy? It was in this light that I selected My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. While the book does get a bit dark sometimes, I do not think the book will leave you feeling sad, enraged maybe, but definitely not sad. The author does a great job of keeping you engaged for the entire read. I also wanted to make sure everyone got through the book, so I selected a short read.
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The Book is Written by a Woman
I wanted to ensure that we continue the momentum of reading books written by women. This is not Ottessa Moshfegh first book, in fact she’s got a great collection of previous works specifically Eileen that is a favourite for many. Moshfegh writes about a character who just wants to take a year off to sleep and in some way, that character may be all of us. I think Moshfegh does a great job of penning a character that is multi-dimensional- a character you will enjoy loving or hating.
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The Plot Offers A Lot To Discuss
I blew through this book, mainly because the writing is really engaging and the main character is somewhat of a train wreck you cannot stop reading about. A lot of themes are brought to light in this book, specifically millennials and their coping mechanism, friendship in the 20th century, depression and grief. What I loved most was how imperfect and authentic the characters were.
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I Loved It!
Not to toot my own horn, but I think I have exquisite taste in books. If the last four reasons didn’t move you, just know I absolutely loved it and you will too.
There you have it, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, the third book we will be reading for BookOfCinz Book Club in March 2019. If you will be reading along, please contact me at bookofcinz@outlook.com or follow me on Instagram @bookofcinz
