![]() In both cases, their disillusioned response to the hustle and bustle of daily life says something about their effete culture. ![]() ![]() Both lack worldly ambition and would gladly stay in bed round-the-clock. Like Oblomov, she's privileged with an excellent education, ample inherited wealth, and people to manage her estate. Moshfegh's self-proclaimed somniac and somnophile evokes Oblomov, Ivan Goncharov's classic 19th century Russian novel about profound lassitude and ennui - but only to a point, and in a twisted sort of way. This miserable young woman hopes she can hibernate for a year and literally lose herself - her haunting memories, obsessive thoughts, and acidic negativity - and emerge from her sleep-cure as "a whole new person." My Year of Rest and Relaxation is her hyper-articulate account of this disturbing, ultimately moving "self-preservational" project. How about going even further and taking a yearlong break from yourself and the world, courtesy of an extended nap? That's the desperate plan of the unnamed 24-year-old narrator of Ottessa Moshfegh's bizarrely fascinating second novel. ![]() Imagine taking a sabbatical, not just from your job, but from your life. ![]() Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title My Year of Rest and Relaxation Author Ottessa Moshfegh ![]()
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