2.5/5
This was my second Moshfegh book after My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and both novels were very mixed bags for me (though I prefer MYoR&R). And yet, I have no doubt that I will continue reading what she puts out because Moshfegh does evoke my curiosity, and I do enjoy her refreshingly unflattering female protagonists. My enthusiasm about reading the medieval-themed Lapvona has not diminished at all as a result of being disappointed by this book. This anomaly is strange to me, but I guess you could say that even when I am not really digging a lot of Moshfegh's writing choices, I am still interested to see what she will do next. And that's something.

Eileen is a debut novel which, unfortunately, feels very much like a debut novel. There's some base matter here in terms of character building that could be very interesting and even important if refined more, but as it stands there is too much connective tissue lacking and it didn't seem to add up very well. I started to think that this was because the MC's characterization (which we spend an awful lot of time on) was ultimately just a plot device. We need to believe that she is a person who can be easily manipulated by someone who shows them positive attention. This is the book's short-lived but interesting (and wonderfully tense!) sweet spot.

Ultimately, though, I came away feeling that the amount of effort was not worth the payoff. It's one of those books that the more I think about if afterward, the more I don't care for it because little things bug me.