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My Year of Rest and Relaxation
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Jan 16, 2026 1:37 PM

Author:Ottessa Moshfegh

My Year of Rest and Relaxation

'When I'd slept enough, I'd be okay. I'd be renewed, reborn.'

This is the story of a woman with no name. Young, thin, pretty, a recent Columbia graduate, she lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like everything else, by her inheritance. Yet she longs to lose herself completely.

It's the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong? My Year of Rest and Relaxation is a savagely funny novel of a woman looking out from the abyss.

Meet ten of literature's most iconic heroines, jacketed in bold portraits by female photographers from around the world.

Reviews

Moshfegh's stunning 2018 novel has a haunting ending... [and] relentlessly vicious humour.

—— Gwendolyn Smith , i

This razor sharp satirical novel has achieved near mythical status... [a] compelling and clever take on a female character that isn't afraid to speak her mind

—— Glamour

Ottessa is one of our newest, most dazzling, daring and outrageous voices in literature

—— Gwendoline Christie , Vogue

Bernardine Evaristo is one of those writers who should be read by everyone, everywhere

—— Elif Shafak, author of the bestselling The Island of Missing Trees

A bold memoir. Prepare to be inspired

—— Psychologies

A meditation on personal transformation, cultural inequalities, activism, belonging, love and friendships - and above all, the power of creativity

—— New Statesman

Bernardine Evaristo is one of Britain's best writers, an iconic and unique voice, filled with warmth, subtlety and humanity. Exceptional

—— Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good Immigrant

How I wish when I was 18, that someone - if not necessarily my school - had also thrust Manifesto into my hands

—— Evening Standard

Shimmers with unfailing self-belief and a strong vein of humility

—— The Spectator

This humorous and eye-opening memoir is fascinating . . . and beautifully told

—— Sunday Telegraph, Five Books That Will Make You See the World Differently

The autobiographical parts of the book serve as vivid lessons about the power of change, growth and self-confidence

—— The Daily Telegraph

The most striking feature of this moving and enjoyable book is her fearless openness. When the publishing world looked closed to her she prised it open with her daring fiction

—— The Sunday Times

Bernardine Evaristo is the most daring, imaginative and innovative of writers

—— Inua Ellams

Manifesto serves as not only a beautifully written, measured companion piece to the fictionalised lives of Girl, Woman, Other, but as a testament to Evaristo's own trailblazing commitment to creativity, education and activism

—— Buzzfeed

[A] tenderly rendered apocalyptic novella... Johnson is an unusually sensitive writer, combining a mood of impending doom with language of soulful beauty

—— Claire Allfree , Daily Mail

This brief, brilliant gut-punch of a novel is frighteningly plausible... Lush, harrowing, and entirely believable - a marvel of economy

—— Paul Connolly , Metro

My Monticello is short, satisfying and punchy: more debuts should be like this

—— John Self , The Times

Stunning

—— Eithne Farry , Mail on Sunday

Chilling, affecting and intelligent

—— Stuart Kelly , Scotland on Sunday

This brief, brilliant gut-punch of a novel is frighteningly plausible

—— Paul Connolly , Metro, *Christmas Gift Guide 2021*

My Monticello is a bleak story but reading it elicits the same kind of sensation that comes from listening to a poignant blues song: there is pleasure in its creation without denying the pain of the subject

—— Colin Grant , Guardian

A history lesson, a fable, an inquiry into the nature of historic monuments, a heartfelt tale of community and above all a nail-biting story.

—— Guardian

Beautifully written with unforgettable characters... My Monticello is an unforgettable and thought-provoking novella that will unsettle you to your core.

—— Voice

A wild ride through Americana

—— BuzzFeed

History [and] adventure collide in The Lincoln Highway . . . The pace is fast and writing concise, making it a digestible read whether in bed or at a loud coffee shop

—— Associated Press

Magnificent . . . Towles is a supreme storyteller, and this one-of-a-kind kind of novel isn't to be missed

—— Publishers Weekly

[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion

—— Booklist

A new author to me- but I'll be reading Amor's A Gentlemen in Moscow, as I was blown away by this... A heartfelt read, one that makes me think of coming of age film Stand By Me

—— Prima

A natural storyteller, Towles keeps the plot ticking over nicely in a solid holiday listen destined for the big screen

—— Irish Examiner

A perfect paperback

—— The Herald

A book to lose yourself in

—— Muddy Stilettos
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