Eileen

By: Ottessa Moshfegh

Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan

A lonely young woman working in a boys' prison outside Boston in the early 60s is pulled into a very strange crime, in a mordant, harrowing story of obsession and suspense, by one of the brightest new voices in fiction.

So here we are. My name was Eileen Dunlop. Now you know me. I was 24 years old then, and had a job that paid 57 dollars a week as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teenage boys. I think of it now as what it really was for all intents and purposes - a prison for boys. I will call it Moorehead. Delvin Moorehead was a terrible landlord I had years later, and so to use his name for such a place feels appropriate. In a week, I would run away from home and never go back. This is the story of how I disappeared.

The Christmas season offers little cheer for Eileen Dunlop, an unassuming yet disturbed young woman trapped between her role as her alcoholic father's caretaker in a home whose squalor is the talk of the neighborhood and a day job as a secretary at the boys' prison, filled with its own quotidian horrors. Consumed by resentment and self-loathing, Eileen tempers her dreary days with perverse fantasies and dreams of escaping. In the meantime, she fills her nights and weekends with shoplifting, stalking a buff prison guard named Randy, and cleaning up her increasingly deranged father's messes.

When the bright, beautiful, and cheery Rebecca Saint John arrives on the scene as the new counselor at Moorehead, Eileen is enchanted and proves unable to resist what appears at first to be a miraculously budding friendship. In a Hitchcockian twist, her affection for Rebecca ultimately pulls her into complicity in a crime that surpasses her wildest imaginings. Creepy, mesmerizing, and sublimely funny, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and early Vladimir Nabokov, this powerful debut novel enthralls and shocks, and introduces one of the most original new voices in contemporary literature.

©2015 Ottessa Moshfegh (P)2015 Recorded Books

Fantastic Narration and Engrossing

Even though I didn't love this story, I will say that the author is a talented writer, and the narrator was spot on. . .if I had to compare it to another book, I'd say "Eleanor Oliphant". It reads as if Eleanor Oliphant was born 30 years earlier...also the twist is interesting and unexpected after a few hrs in...overall...I'd recommend it

Not my cup of tea

The last two chapters were the best part of the book; I felt it took too long to get there! I could relate to some aspects of the character, but some details were simply gross and didn't contribute overall. The narration was terrific!

The narration was good

The story kept me interested, and the ending was a nice surprise. Will definitely read more from the author.

Unexpected, subtle, & weird

I love how different great female writers are from great male writers, and this is why. I wouldn’t dare ruin a minute of it for you except to say: trust her & let it happen

Boring

I read my year of rest and relaxation and thought it was snoozers but this one is worse only good part was the end

Excellent Writing. Excellent Narration.

The day I started this book I was about to give up. I had started and quickly deleted 4 books in rapid succession, so poor was the writing. I'll admit every book I read isn't award winning material but I had just finished a book by Lionel Shriver so my brain wasn't ready to settle for garbage. I knew within minutes of starting Eileen I had found a book worth my time. The attention to detail and the unexpected turns of phrase made listening to Ottessa Moshfegh's writing a joy. Though I'm sure this book isn't to everyone's taste if nuanced skill with words is what you enjoy, step right up. I would have given this book 5 stars even without a good story but it delivered that as well. The narrator was a perfect choice. I couldn't imagine a better interpretation of the two main characters.

4.28 stars........perfect narrator

Eileen is a bit darker than Moshfegh's latest novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and it's not as funny, but the dark humor is still there. The narrator has the perfect voice for this work and does a fantastic job. This type of character study isn't for everyone because the plot moves slow, but I like this type of novel, and I like this writer.

Overall rating: 4.25 stars

Ended full circle

One of the most interesting and at the same time strangest story I've ever read. The performance was a perfect match--not sure I would've enjoyed this book as much had I read it myself (instead off listening to it). The character has a very strong personality and the narrator did an excellent job at portraying this in a tone that was relatable.

A profound slice of life

By reading this book we go on a ride into the mind of a woman who has lived a grim life contained primarily by her small town and the unfortunate circumstances of her home. Though the scene setting is dark, the author is clearly gifted and her descriptions glow through the gloom. There is a story here, which meanders around bizarre twists and turns, but for me, the courageous empathy for each darkly flawed character is the authors most remarkable feat. At times humorous and others tragic, this strange slice of life goes deep and I highly recommended the read. ❤️

Let down hard!

This story for me really never got off the ground. I kept thinking and hoping there would be something that would kick in but was disappointed I had given a credit.