My Year of Rest and Relaxation

This was a weird delight. Our heroine is rich and pretty, petty and anti-social. Sick and tired of the world, so she wants to reinvent herself by sleeping as much as possible, with the help of as many pills as her quirky unethical psychiatrist is willing to prescribe. She downs various combinations of sleeping and knockout pills that put her under for days at a time. She lives in a constant daze, between endless naps, watching VHS tapes on loop. Her only contact with the outside world are trips to the neighbourhood bodega, and that one persistently annoying friend who continues to stop by. Around 2/3 in, when her minimalist lazy lifestyle is established, and her dysfunctional upbringing was explored, the book felt a bit unsure about where to go next. But then it suddenly energised again, and I loved everything about her new stricter sleeping regime, the experimental and artsy nature of it, and especially the ultimate outcome. Moshfegh managed to hit a wonderfully sharp and cruel tone, in describing this seemingly vapid posh character, while also giving her a lot of sympathy and tenderness. This might be one of those books that keeps resonating within, after you've finished. I already like it more, the more I think about it. It's hitting this topical itch, of trying to find ways to be more mindful and positive towards this world. And there's just something very alluring about the concept of hibernation. Here it's part cry for help, but also a smart prescient self-preservation move. Which is empowering. Also, it was definitely interesting to read this in parallel with Michael Pollan's [b: How to Change Your Mind 36613747 How to Change Your Mind What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence Michael Pollan https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1545030338l/36613747.SY75.jpg 58370652], considering the experience she had on her final sleep, and how it ultimately transformed her.