[posted 11/30/25]

3/5

This was an interesting read. I chose it because I'm in the process of trying to form a reading habit, and having read some of Moshfegh's work (re: Lapvona ), I figured it would be a good one to keep me hooked enough to finish it. And this turned out to be true. That being said, I wasn't fully satisfied by this book.

I'll start with what I liked about it. I'm a fan of Moshfegh's writing style–in particular, I thought the kind of manic stream-of-consciousness of this story was well done. It was captivating and interesting and truly made me feel like I was descending into madness with the protagonist, Vesta. I found the book to be an interesting character study of a somewhat sympathetic somewhat unsympathetic old woman struggling with a life unlived and a loneliness that she'd always felt, but finally had to confront. At first I found myself deeply saddened by Vesta's circumstances, and as the story progressed, and it became clear that she was losing her grip on reality, I truly found myself worrying for her. I have a particular soft spot for stories about lonely older people. In some ways, I liked that I couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. It did really feel like I was sharing Vesta's 'mindspace.'

I ended up giving this book a 3/5. Not terrible, but not fantastic. There were a couple things I didn't like as much. For one, Vesta's loud fatphobia. I can see that perhaps Moshfegh was using this both to introduce some character nuance to Vesta as well as to distinguish her, the outsider, from the place she had moved into. But it felt unnecessary and gratuitous and took me out of the story multiple times. I also think the transition into Vesta's imagination becoming reality (i.e. her losing it) was maybe a bit too subtle, or maybe a bit too rushed. It was confusing, and although I can see maybe that was the point, I found myself a little lost towards the end. Related to this, one of the final scenes with 'Charlie' I found a bit confusing. I've seen some people speculate that the creature Vesta invited into her home really was Charlie, and she killed him in a maddened state. I interpreted it as Vesta seeing a wild animal–a wolf or coyote–and mistaking it for Charlie. Where did Charlie go, by the way? How did he get out? Again, I understand the point probably is that it's confusing because Vesta is confused and trapped in a world that doesn't align with reality, and we're getting her POV, but some of the lose ends... I feel like could have been more cleanly tied up.

Regardless, this book has helped to inspire me to keep reading, and I will definitely be making my way through Moshfegh's catalogue.