My Year of Rest and RelaxationMy Year of Rest and Relaxation
Score Modern
What it's about
Young, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate living on her inheritance on the Upper East Side, the narrator should be happy. But it's 2000, and there's a dark hole in her heart.
Why it's worth reading
It's a sharp portrait of privilege and emptiness in New York in 2000.
You'll love it if you liked
Eileen
Convenience Store Woman
The Bell JarGood to know
It's dark.
By the numbers
- Readers4 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller35 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #323 of the 325 literary novels we rank
- #1619 of the 1,647 modern books we rank
- #3014 of the 3,056 books we rank
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Ottessa Moshfegh
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Literary novelsTop 25 · 325 ranked

Modern booksTop 25 · 1,647 ranked

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Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 623 ranked

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelsTop 25 · 63 ranked

Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked

Science fiction booksTop 25 · 333 rankedQuick answers
Is My Year of Rest and Relaxation worth reading?
Yes. It's a sharp portrait of privilege and emptiness in New York in 2000. It ranks #3,014 of the 3,056 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 52.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is My Year of Rest and Relaxation about?
Young, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate living on her inheritance on the Upper East Side, the narrator should be happy. But it's 2000, and there's a dark hole in her heart.
How long does it take to read My Year of Rest and Relaxation?
About 8 hours (304 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after My Year of Rest and Relaxation?
If you liked it, try Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata or The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.