The novel “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, written by Ottessa Moshfegh and published in 2018, follows an unnamed narrator throughout her endeavor to only remain awake for 40 hours out of an entire year and the preceding events that led to this abnormal decision.
Despite being released circa 2018, this book has recently surged in popularity, with the narrator’s consistent seclusion being homogeneous to the common experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the novel, the self-described skinny, blonde, and beautiful narrator constantly partake in self-destruction by over consuming prescribed narcotic drugs, continuing her sole friendship with a girl she internally despises, sleeping inside a closet while at her job in an esteemed art gallery, and pining after her cheating ex-boyfriend.
Furthermore, in spite of the fact that the narrator continues to participate in these unsavory activities, she persistently judges those around her, deeming them less than.
However, some readers have found similarities between themselves and the narrator’s adverse traits and even find the narrator endearing.
On the social media platform TikTok, users confess to relating deeply to the narrator’s monologues and praise her actions, claiming that they require their year of rest and relaxation, finding the notion of not being conscious for 365 days as comforting. Others recommend the book along with others for those who want to enter their “unhinged era”.
This romanticization of the narrator’s experiences and behaviors is deeply unsettling in a time in which the depiction of mental illnesses, mainly eating disorders, is glamorized in all forms of media, whether it be a television show, novel, or social media post.
Throughout the novel, the narrator describes her unhealthy eating habits as well as states that her supposed best friend suffers from binge eating disorder as well as bulimia, describing the stashes of fast food wrappers and waste hidden within her apartment and the scent of vomit lingering in her bathroom without a hint of concern.
The author’s blatant lack of worry regarding anyone or anything besides herself is a theme consistent throughout the novel, making her monologues dull and self-helping.
However, it is important to note that Moshfegh intended to make the narrator unbearable, to challenge the pervasive idea that the main character, especially when that character is a woman, must be likable and pleasant.
Unfortunately, despite knowing that “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” was meant to be a grotesque and difficult read, I found the novel overall tedious, with spurts of sadness.
However, it was an interesting and unique novel that could be beneficial for one looking for an extremely narcissistic and overall insufferable main character.
