An Eternity Of Sleep.

The book My Year of Rest by Ottessa Moshfegh was published in 2018 and was an instant hit. It was quickly added to the New York Times bestseller list. This was Moshefegh’s debut novel. Unsurprisingly, her novel ran to the top of the charts instantly. This novel is a beautiful piece of literature reflecting the universal thought of someone yearning to hide from society and reset themselves mentally, giving them a reprieve from everyday life. While unnamed and recently dealing with the loss of her parents, the main character exemplified an exceedingly self-aware young woman who always felt as if, even at her worst, she was always resembling significant beauty. The main character would mention things like, “Everyone I knew at school hated me because I was so pretty” (Moshfgh 148). This was interesting to me because it didn’t come across as bragging; instead, it seemed self-aware with how Moshfegh wrote it. Her self-esteem stayed high while her aptitude for life declined. The author embellished the main character to resemble a severe form of depression, as she uses the comical ideal of human hibernation to convey the extent of her sadness. This book is so good that the main character is doing what we can not in a functioning society: sleeping for six months. Moshfegh states, “Oh sleep. Nothing else could ever bring me such pleasure, such freedom, the power to feel and move and think and imagine, safe from the miseries of my waking consciousness” (Moshfegh 46). Many other facets of life and struggle are portrayed excellently within this book, such as addiction to prescription drugs and how that affects people. This epidemic has affected countless individuals and families in our country, and the inclusion of this topic could contribute to the novel’s popularity. Overall, the book, My Year of Rest by Ottessa Moshfegh, helps highlight relevant issues such as mental health and educates people through fiction.