Review: Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wish I'd liked this book as much as some of my bookish friends. Although I thought it was good, it didn't quite make it over to great for me.

This is a good character study ... the characters, particularly Eileen, are what makes this novel successful. Going deep into Eileen's head while reading this novel was disturbing in every possible way. The level of disturbing that I found this book to be is a testament to Otessa Moshfegh's writing. She puts you in the head of a truly despicable and difficult to take person. And she does it very, very well.

If you love psychological thrillers, this might be worth your picking up. It is certainly one of the most in depth explorations of the psychology of a sick person that I think I've read. If you aren't a fan of characters that are difficult to like, then you should definitely avoid this one. It's very disturbing and dark. It's not for everyone.

It fell short for me in two ways - I didn't think the story itself was particularly engaging, there wasn't enough there to capture my imagination and keep me interested over the scope of the novel AND I wasn't a fan of the ending. It felt stilted and a little weak.

If you enjoy books that make you uncomfortable and ask you to confront dark things, this is definitely one you want to pick up. Although it didn't quite deliver for me, I know many readers have enjoyed the psychological exploration that this one allows a reader!