2018
WISE Score
Amazon
A wealthy, beautiful, and profoundly miserable New Yorker decides to sleep away a year with the help of a very questionable psychiatrist and a lot of pills.
4.0
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This book is a mood, but that mood is 'I want to check out of reality.' It’s brilliant, biting, and arguably one of the best novels of the last decade, but it’s also a total downer.
If you’re a parent looking for a light beach read, keep moving. If you want a sharp-edged critique of modern life that feels like a cold shower, Moshfegh is your girl. Just keep it on a high shelf so your teenager doesn't get any bright ideas about 'hibernating' through finals week.
Strictly 18+. This is 'sad girl' literature at its peak, and while it’s popular on TikTok, the themes of self-destruction and drug use are way too heavy for anyone still in high school.
This is the opposite of wholesome. It’s a nihilistic, cynical, and intentionally 'gross' look at a woman drugging herself into a year-long stupor. There is no kindness or cooperation here, just alienation and a lot of bodily fluids.
Moshfegh’s premise—using a cocktail of heavy sedatives to 'hibernate' and reset the soul—is incredibly original. The way she captures the pre-9/11 New York art scene is sharp and distinct.
For an adult, it's a book. For a kid or teen, it's a safety nightmare. It features detailed prescription drug abuse, toxic relationships, and a protagonist who is effectively trying to disappear from her own life. It's a 'do not leave on the coffee table' situation.
As a piece of literature, it’s brilliant. It offers a brutal, honest look at grief, consumerism, and the emptiness of modern life. It’s a heavy-duty empathy exercise, even if the character is hard to like.
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