wow i thought death in her hands was freaking incredible. i guess if you want a murder mystery then it's bad, but for me this deranged embittered older woman who was obviously mistreated by her husband descending into madness and regret had me hooked all the way through. also prose-wise i thought it was remarkably good. i was actually so thankful it didn't become some rote murder mystery and instead became a character study
Omg sameeeee. Im honestly shocked that anyone could read this and have preferred yet another straightforward murder mystery… i guess a lot of people have a low tolerance for experimental literary fiction. I loved it as well. I love how the writing slowly takes you on a descent into madness as the lines between imagination and perceived reality begin to blur… and thematically it was just so rich. The book has so much to say on aging, imagination, storytelling, and in some ways it felt like a total deconstruction of murder mystery as a genre? I don’t know man all i know is i frickin loved it just like i loved Eileen and My year of rest and relaxation. This book is certainly an acquired taste tho… its not for those looking for a plot or any story that plays by genre conventions. Hell, you really have to use your brain to even parse out some of the more subtle themes and messages. Ottessa really makes you work if you want to get to the root of her novels, yet all 3 of her novels i read i feel can be appreciated on a surface level as well. Its something i really admire about her as an author.
that’s fair! it’s more of a case of me not clicking with the book and perhaps my expectations ruined the reading experience lol. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
on the contrary! I didn’t vibe with Death in Her Hands and thought McGlue could have been better, but I did like MYORAR and Eileen and even Lapvona. Regardless, I admire her audacity and originality as a writer. I’ll be reading any and every book she publishes!
wow i thought death in her hands was freaking incredible. i guess if you want a murder mystery then it's bad, but for me this deranged embittered older woman who was obviously mistreated by her husband descending into madness and regret had me hooked all the way through. also prose-wise i thought it was remarkably good. i was actually so thankful it didn't become some rote murder mystery and instead became a character study
Omg sameeeee. Im honestly shocked that anyone could read this and have preferred yet another straightforward murder mystery… i guess a lot of people have a low tolerance for experimental literary fiction. I loved it as well. I love how the writing slowly takes you on a descent into madness as the lines between imagination and perceived reality begin to blur… and thematically it was just so rich. The book has so much to say on aging, imagination, storytelling, and in some ways it felt like a total deconstruction of murder mystery as a genre? I don’t know man all i know is i frickin loved it just like i loved Eileen and My year of rest and relaxation. This book is certainly an acquired taste tho… its not for those looking for a plot or any story that plays by genre conventions. Hell, you really have to use your brain to even parse out some of the more subtle themes and messages. Ottessa really makes you work if you want to get to the root of her novels, yet all 3 of her novels i read i feel can be appreciated on a surface level as well. Its something i really admire about her as an author.
that’s fair! it’s more of a case of me not clicking with the book and perhaps my expectations ruined the reading experience lol. I’m glad you enjoyed it though!
We have the same bookshelves 😊
Seems like you don’t really like Moshfegh’s books.
on the contrary! I didn’t vibe with Death in Her Hands and thought McGlue could have been better, but I did like MYORAR and Eileen and even Lapvona. Regardless, I admire her audacity and originality as a writer. I’ll be reading any and every book she publishes!