Homesick for Another World

Moshfegh is the perfect person to write a short story collection because she's so skilled at creating cruel characters that I don't want to spend more than 40 pages with

Not my fav Moshfegh.

Capably written single-formula stories that are casually fatphobic, ableist, dismissive of the other while centring another ‘other'.

these are very good, very unsettling stories. i do not recommend reading this collection while traveling alone.

There is nothing I don't like about Moshfegh's prose.
She is clean, laser-sharp and full of tough love for her language, in a way that commands respect.

The lunacy of her characters? Also admirable in the way it relentlessly comes at you from left field.

But reading this short story collection was, to me, a sad affair.

I get that the underlying thesis of the book (and perhaps the author's vision) is that people are awful and on my average day I might feel inclined to agree with her.

But I still think someone fumbled with the quantities in this one: the - exquisitely crafted - fascination with filth gets easily repetitive and ultimately boring: There is little to no plot in most of the stories (which probably qualify better as ‘character studies') and while I'm not necessarily a fan of plot-heavy prose, I definitively would have enjoyed a bit more of it, because - with the exception of four of these - ‘awful' seems to have many faces but the same exact tone of voice.

I get how, rationally, an old chauvinist who only sees women as commodities could sound quite like a young chauvinist who only sees women as commodities, but I don't necessarily want to read about it for 300 pages, if this is all I get.

Again: I love Moshfegh's writing and I admire the way she seems to be on a quest to use every single English word (agog!). But I like her best when she takes the time to flesh out her characters a little more and actually puts them up to something.

the writing was fine but the characters are just so unlikeable. i have never experienced anything like this before. they are all going to hell

Really wanted to love Moshfegh because it would be cool if I did. The way she writes about people is the literary equivalent of “the ick” and it's cool that she has such a distinct perspective, but it's not for me.

Hard to read a collection of stories that has such contempt for humanity—and especially a vitriol for people who look like me.

After almost four decades of being an avid reader, I have to admit I am really, really hard to shock or impress. This is the second time Moshfegh has made me feel.....well, voyeuristic and disturbed and surprised and in awe. It's unsettling! It's upsetting! We need more of this in this world, now.

I feel like Moshfegh shook me awake. Her message is “We are NOT special snowflakes, in fact, we are quite gross and barely deserve to exist”. How refreshing.

Don't misunderstand, Moshfegh is not gross for the sake of shock. I would never compare her to Katherine Dunn (who just makes me feel dirty inside and like I want to vomit). She is telling stories of people who could actually (probably) exist. People you would sneer at on the street and think (Ew, how does she live with herself? All while simultaneously praying that you yourself had nothing in common with them).

There was only one story that pushed me to put the collection down and go take a breath, because it is something that hit me so hard morally.

While the collection is a solid 5 stars, here are the stories I know I will be talking to people about for years to come. So, for my own reference:
Bettering Myself
A Dark and Winding Road
Slumming (OMG)
Nothing Ever Happens Here
A Better Place