oh my god..... that ending is so suffocating.... :-(

obsessed with Moshfegh’s ability to create such surreal grotesque worlds

I'm starting to love Moshfegh!

beautifully brutal.

After I read Homesick for Another World and Eileen, I had the impression that I would always enjoy Ottessa's writing, but McGlue proved me wrong.

A disgusting and dark novella, but well written and intriguing

fellas is it gay to be so in love with your best friend that you kill him when he asks you to?

I read this wrong - fractured over months instead of one good sitting. Felt unsure about it upon completion but the ending is a stunner and when I started reading my next book all of its characters were void of depth and insight by comparison. Read all Moshfegh it's good for the soul.

Eh

more disgusting, despicable, and ugly than i’ve could have wished for :)

I'm not quite sure why I love Moshfegh's writing. All of her characters are unpleasant and horrible, and they say and think terrible things, and make irresponsible decisions, but I can't stop reading her work. This is much better than Eileen, I think, but I don't feel the same way about it as I did My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Her language is beautiful, she manages to state complex thoughts in really simple ways, which feels good to read. Her books don't feel like they're meant to be enjoyable but I love them.

Maybe I missed something? My Year of Rest and Relaxation was my first read from Moshfegh and it's on my top ten favorite reads last year so I was really looking forward on reading (and loving) her debut novel, McGlue. This book has 145 pages but it took me days to finish it. I had a hard time getting into the story and it was confusing most of the time. I was lost when I finished it. It's historical fiction, with a little mystery featuring an unreliable narrator. Sounds perfect to me but sadly, I ended up disappointed. I still appreciate the writing style though. I'm just glad that MYoRaR was my first read and I still want to read Eileen. *ARC from PenguinPress

Drunk sailor may have murdered his best friend. Vivid, nihilistic, authentically atmospheric fever dream, verges on being too bleak.