AJ Dunn Reads

  Lapvona By Ottessa Moshfegh   4 stars.

  Death in Her Hands By Ottessa Moshfegh 4 stars.

  My Year of Rest and Relaxation By Ottessa Moshfegh   4 stars.

  Homesick for Another World By Ottessa Moshfegh A collection of short stories exploring more of the same ideas that appeared in Moshfegh's previous two novels. The main ideas I come away with in these poignant, often humoress, stories is that she is showing us the worst of humanity, our greed and baser natures, the things we do to or think about others and ourselves that we hate to admit to. She forces us to examine ourselves and our own prejudices. Through these readings we can feel above others, however false that is, which in itself forces us to face our own selfishness and dark places. I'm really enjoying Moshfegh's writing. Their is a depressed nature to them, but their is also hope and a light at the end of many of them. But not everything comes out all right in the end,. Such is life, and she shows us that. It is a mirror. 4 stars.

  Eileen By Ottessa Moshfegh Eileen is a 24-year-old living with her alcoholic father in a run-down hoarder house, and working at a youth prison where she spends her time fantasizing about a guard named Randy in between her tedious duties. She has no friends, is taunted by her coworkers, emotionally abused by her father, abandoned by her mother, and has a terrible self-image.  Eileen gets through the world by pretending to wear a disinterested mask, while her inner life is fraught with judgements about herself and everyone she meets. She dreams of running away from it all and becoming a new person. When a new employee named Rebecca comes to work at the prison, Eileen finds a new obsession. Rebecca pays attention to Eileen and makes her feel like she actually has a friend for the first time in her life. Rebecca takes an interest in the story of one of the young boy prisoners and learns the boy's story, which she believes, telling Eileen that the boy's crime of killing his fathe...

  McGlue By Ottessa Moshfegh   My first experience with Moshfegh, McGlue is about a man who is accused of the murder of his best friend. He is being held on a sailing ship awaiting his fate. He doesn't remember the murder and is an alcoholic. Through the story he recalls meeting his friend, who kept him drunk, but also looked out for him. As he begins to sober up, McGlue starts to remember. This was a great novella. It was dark, gritty, immersed in the filth of living in a body. I found the writing to be razor sharp. Moshfegh does not worry about the reader feeling uncomfortable. She is a writer's writer, telling the tale in all of its messy grandeur. These are characters you will not like, right up to the end. The setting is so immersive you can almost hear the water lapping at the wood and smell the rankness of McGlue's prison. I loved it. This is an easy 4 stars. I'm excited to read more of Moshfegh's work.