Published in 2018, ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’ by Otessa Moshfegh is a polarizing depiction of realism. Set in New York City in the early 2000s, the text is characterised by intricate imagery of a depressive scene as the protagonist, a young socialite, attempts to sleep for a year in an effort to emerge as a better, higher self.
The novel presents subtle criticisms of late-stage capitalism, whereupon the young woman feels the only way for her to avoid the stress and chaos of the modern world - in order to rejuvenate and heal - is to hibernate in an extreme way. The protagonist’s ability to hibernate for a year is also a privilege afforded to her by the death of her parents, granting her financial stability. The text presents various images of death and wealth, interspersed by substance abuse - another symptom of late-stage capitalism. Furthermore, the premise of the text suggests that capitalism does not allow for rest or relaxation, and this is perfectly visualised in the imagery of bustling New York - the city that never sleeps.
Over her year of ‘rest and relaxation’, the protagonist experiments with a vast array of narcotic drugs to extend her sleep, prescribed by a dubious psychiatrist. One drug in particular has adverse effects and sends the woman into blackouts that take her sleepwalking across New York; disrupting her original plan of doing nothing but sleep for the year. The blackouts signal the woman’s internal, perhaps subconscious urges to explore, learn, feel, and love, yet she does everything in her power to prevent them from happening, with the worry they will disturb her chrysalis.
The timeframe of the text preempts 9/11, and there is an ironic shift in the young woman’s outlook once the novel depicts the attack. Whilst the young woman has spent the optimistic years of pre-9/11 revelling in drugs, sleep, fast food, social isolation, and persistent pessimism, after the attacks she emerges from her slumber starkly optimistic. It can be inferred that Moshfegh is hinting that with darkness comes light, a simple yet moving essence when synonymously capacitated with an image of the young woman’s best friend falling from one of the Twin Towers. It is striking that it takes an event as devastating as 9/11 for the young woman to emerge from her guarded hibernation; another signal toward the bounds of capitalism.
It is clear throughout the novel that the protagonist is disgusted yet subtly entranced by herself -she maintains her slim figure and pretty face which grant her a sense of peace, in that she is still an attractive, sexual being despite her hibernation. Moreover, Moshfegh takes a feminist perspective regarding her presentation of the protagonist. The young woman’s self-interest, vainness, and overall dissatisfaction with the world paint her as a deeply unlikeable character, yet readers still pity her. The novel is therefore an oxymoronic tale of reality, intersected by feminist commentary and a dislike of the hustle of New York. The text calls for what its title depicts - a year of rest and relaxation - but is this truly possible without financial privilege?
Moshfegh takes a feminist perspective regarding her presentation of the protagonist.