
There's something eerily unsettling about Ottessa Moshfegh's stories something almost dangerous while also being delightful
- & often even weirdly hilarious Her characters are all unsteady on their feet; all yearning for connection & betterment in very different ways but each of them seems destined to be tripped up by their own baser impulses What makes these stories so moving is the emotional balance that Moshfegh achieves
- the way she exposes the limitless range of self-deception that human beings can employ while at the same time infusing the grotesque & outrageous with tenderness & compassion The flesh is weak; the timber is crooked; people are cruel to each other & stupid & hurtful but beauty comes from strange sources & the dark energy surging through these stories is oddly & powerfully invigorating One of the most gifted & exciting young writers in America she shows us uncomfortable things & makes us look at them forensically
- until we find suddenly that we are really looking at ourselves