you know. i hated my year of rest and relaxation but wanted to give moshfegh another try and i didnt like this one either! shocker!!
very little payoff and the ‘shocking’ bits just came off as very try hard
wouldve enjoyed her work as a teen with no knowledge of nuance but not so much now. anyway speaking of nuance heres why i hated this book

the fact that moshfegh makes an EFFORT to perpetuate the stereotype that gay men are pedophiles! wow!!! when referencing the warden spanking little boys she writes that he is a homosexual instead of just labeling him a pedophile! and she makes it clear that oh no eileen is not a lesbian she is just in love with a woman WOO! what the fuck ! why are yall down with this! stop using pedophile rape as a shocker twist plot point in your pseudo feminist power fantasy! thanks!!!
oh and if you want to say well u know eileen is supposed to be a terrible person etc about the lesbian and homosexual reference im talking about above i ask you….what would be removed from understanding she is a terrible person if these two lines were cut from the book. yOu WOUldSTILL GET IT!!!!!!!wiTHOUT THE HARM TO mArGINALIZED GROUPS!!!!!!!!