My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Entertainment Weekly's top choice for 2018 presents a captivating protagonist in contemporary literature: an eccentric, quietly furious character grappling with pill addiction. Her hallucinatory ramblings, driven by Ambien and Xanax, lead her through a journey that is both poignant and humorous, ultimately touching on something deeply meaningful. Vogue highlights the dark humor of Moshfegh, a provocateur who skillfully mixes humor with incisive critiques.Moshfegh introduces one of the most daring and celebrated voices in literature through this novel, which explores a young woman's attempt to escape the world's ills by undergoing an extended period of hibernation. She is aided in her endeavor by a dubious psychiatrist, whose excessive prescriptions raise questions about medical ethics. The protagonist seemingly has a perfect life: she's young, attractive, a Columbia alumna with a job at a trendy art gallery, living in a Manhattan apartment funded by her inheritance. Yet, an emptiness consumes her, exacerbated not only by her parents' death or her Wall Street boyfriend's dismissive behavior but also by her complex rapport with her best friend, Reva.Set in the year 2000, amidst New York City's opulence and opportunities, My Year of Rest and Relaxation provides a profound response to the quest for fulfillment. Through a year engulfed in a chaotic cocktail of medications, Moshfegh suggests that alienation might sometimes be a rational, even crucial, response to life's alienating forces. This novel intertwines tenderness and dark comedy with ruthless yet empathetic narrative, showcasing Moshfegh's exceptional talent as an author at the peak of her creative prowess.