Summary
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a darkly comic novel and serious commentary on modern society by Ottessa Moshfegh. Set in New York City at the turn of the millennium, it follows an unnamed protagonist's attempt to sleep for an entire year, aided by a cocktail of prescription medications. Published in 2018, the novel was widely praised for both its sardonic wit and unflinching examination of alienation in contemporary life. My Year of Rest and Relaxation quickly became a New York Times bestseller and was named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, TIME, and NPR.
Plot
My Year of Rest and Relaxation follows an unnamed narrator, a young woman in her mid-20s living in New York City in the year 2000. Despite her privileged background and outward advantages, she feels deeply alienated and dissatisfied with her life. After losing both her parents and becoming disillusioned with her job at an art gallery, she decides to embark on a year-long experiment of near-constant sleep, aided by a cocktail of psychiatric medications prescribed by an incompetent doctor.
As the narrator retreats from the world, she is periodically interrupted by her best friend Reva, who visits despite the narrator's obvious disdain. The narrator also has an on-again, off-again relationship with a Wall Street banker named Trevor. To fully commit to her hibernation project, she enlists the help of an avant-garde artist named Ping Xi, who agrees to act as her caretaker in exchange for using her unconscious body in his art installations.
Throughout her year of “rest and relaxation,” the narrator experiences strange episodes of sleepwalking and blackouts. She gradually increases her medication dosage, aiming to sleep for months at a time. As she withdraws further from reality, her already tenuous relationships with Reva and Trevor deteriorate. The narrator's experiment continues through the summer of 2001, as she slowly begins to reemerge into the world.
The novel culminates on September 11, 2001. Trevor is away on his honeymoon, having married someone else. Reva, who had been working in the World Trade Center, dies in the terrorist attacks. The narrator, watching the tragedy unfold on television, believes she sees Reva jumping from one of the towers. This shocking event marks the end of the narrator's year-long retreat and forces her to confront the world she had been trying to escape.
Themes
Alienation and isolation in modern society
Escapism through drugs and sleep
Critique of privilege and wealth
Mental health and unconventional coping mechanisms
Toxic relationships and dysfunctional friendships
Self-discovery and personal transformation
Impact of trauma and loss on identity
Setting
Set in New York City at the turn of the millennium, My Year of Rest and Relaxation captures the zeitgeist of an era marked by wealth, possibility, and a looming sense of unease. The story unfolds primarily in the year 2000, on the cusp of significant cultural and historical shifts, with the shadow of the September 11 attacks lurking just beyond the story's immediate time frame.
The unnamed narrator's world is centered on Manhattan's Upper East Side, a neighborhood synonymous with privilege and affluence. This upscale slice of the city, with its glittering facade and bustling streets, provides a stark contrast to the narrator's internal despair and self-imposed isolation.
Specific locations play crucial roles in the story, from the art gallery where the narrator works to the psychiatrist's office where she obtains her prescriptions. The narrator's apartment becomes a cocoon of sorts, a microcosm where much of her “year of rest and relaxation” unfolds. As the novel progresses, the World Trade Center emerges as a significant backdrop, its presence a harbinger of the impending tragedy that will reshape the city and the characters' lives.
Characters
Unnamed Narrator: A young, beautiful, wealthy woman in her mid-20s living in New York City. She embarks on a year-long quest to sleep and reset her life through heavy medication. Despite her privileged background, she struggles with depression, alienation, and the loss of her parents. Her journey of self-imposed isolation leads to an unexpected transformation.
Reva: The narrator's best friend from college. Reva is insecure, envious of the narrator's looks and wealth, and struggles with bulimia. She works at the World Trade Center and frequently visits the narrator, despite their complicated relationship. Her character arc intersects tragically with historical events.
Dr. Tuttle: An eccentric and irresponsible psychiatrist who freely prescribes various medications to the narrator. Her unorthodox methods and apparent incompetence play a crucial role in enabling the narrator's year-long sleep experiment.
Trevor: The narrator's on-again, off-again boyfriend who works on Wall Street. He treats her poorly, often leaving her for other women before returning when those relationships fail.
Ping Xi: An avant-garde artist who agrees to care for the narrator during her four-month deep sleep in exchange for using her as an art project. His role highlights themes of art, consent, and exploitation.
Quick facts
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is set in New York City in 2000 and part of 2001, right before the 9/11 attacks.
Ottessa Moshfegh originally planned for the book to focus more on 9/11 but changed direction during writing.
The main character remains unnamed throughout the entire novel.
The narrator attempts to sleep for an entire year using prescription medications.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation became a New York Times bestseller.
The novel was named a Best Book of the Year by multiple publications, including The Washington Post and TIME magazine, as well as NPR.
The book cover features a Jacques-Louis David painting.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation is Moshfegh’s second novel, following her Man Booker Prize-shortlisted debut Eileen.
The film rights were purchased in 2018 by Margot Robbie's production company, LuckyChap Entertainment.
A German-language stage adaptation premiered in Zürich, Switzerland, in 2020.
About the Author
Ottessa Moshfegh (1981-) is an acclaimed American author. Her debut novel, Eileen, published in 2015, received numerous accolades, including the PEN/Hemingway Award for debut fiction and a spot on the Man Booker Prize shortlist. Her subsequent novels, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands, and Lapvona, all became New York Times bestsellers, solidifying her reputation as a provocative and talented author.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Moshfegh is the daughter of a Croatian mother and an Iranian-Jewish father, and credits her diverse background with influencing her unique literary voice. She began her journey as a writer after completing her education at Barnard College and Brown University, where she earned her MFA in Literary Arts.
In addition to her novels, Moshfegh has made significant contributions to the literary world through her short fiction. Her collection Homesick for Another World and novella McGlue showcase her ability to craft compelling narratives in various formats. Moshfegh's work often explores themes of alienation, isolation, and the darker aspects of human nature, drawing comparisons to influential writers like Charles Bukowski. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband, fellow writer Luke B. Goebel.
