Eileen cover art

Eileen

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Eileen

By: Ottessa Moshfegh
Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
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About this listen

The Christmas season offers little cheer for Eileen Dunlop, an unassuming yet disturbed young woman, trapped between her role as her alcoholic father's carer and her day job as a secretary at the prison.

When the charismatic Rebecca Saint John arrives as the new counsellor at the prison, Eileen is enchanted and unable to resist what appears 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.

©2015 Ottessa Moshfegh (P)2015 Recorded Books Inc Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Fiction Scary Crime

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Critic reviews

"Fully lives up to the hype. A taut psychological thriller, rippled with comedy as black as a raven's wing, Eileen is effortlessly stylish and compelling." ( The Times)
"Excellent...a taut, well-written, and completely engrossing novel...culminating in a dynamite ending." ( Boston Globe)
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The narrative voice of the protagonist is intense and compelling, the sense of an important message, unbelievable crime and a revelation that is to come runs through the entire book.
Eileen is shown with a raw honesty and an amazing ability of self-reflection and analysis, which makes her a marvellous character you want to know more about.
We learn more and more about her childhood, her current predicament and her job at the prison.
The story, however, tends to drag on, with long stretched with little action and a growing repetitiveness in the monologue as Eileen shares her inner thoughts and retells the story of one week before Christmas, when the arrival of Rebecca awakens something in her that had been dormant.
Many passages that seemed to be leading to the big crime and drama didn't go anywhere and I felt disappointed.
The long build-up evetually led to a let-down of sorts for me, I expected something different or more.
However, I must say I'm really glad I did read the story as the writing in many places is truly superb and Eileen and Rebecca are two characters I won't forget.
So judge for yourself. This is a book that cannot be dismissed, despite what I felt were weaknesses.

Great writing but a long wait for the action

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I wasn't down with this to start (felt it was too wordy) but as the narrative progressed I became hooked and the pace of it made it very immersive. The character of Eileen aside, there are so many clever twists and turns and they were tied up in what seemed (to me at least) a very satisfying ending.

The narration is great - just the right mix of slow and enunciated. Moshfeghs writing has the reflective quality of Elena Ferrante (as well as its irritable sharpness) which was v well conveyed in the reading. I would recommend Hilary Huber's version of the neopolitan trilogy for any fans of this audiobook.

compelling and immersive

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it was written beautifully, but the narrative climax was very disappointing. the narrator was extremely good.

great narration, anti-climatic story

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pretty engrossing listen but paced very slowly and then has a quick sprint finish. Maybe part of the appeal but felt like there was a lot of build up in a lot of areas only some of which paid off

Worth it

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I get so tired of predictable, silly storylines. Listening to this was a breath of fresh air. Ten out of ten.

Something different

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Eileen is pretty repulsive - at first I struggled to listen to some of the gross descriptions but persevered with the grossness and I'm glad I did. She is deserving of empathy when you discover her story. Strange story but entertaining- I was pretty hooked and can't wait to read by same author soon.

Narration was fantastic!

Unique read !

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Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was enjoyable.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The slow burning. Both good and bad.

What does Alyssa Bresnahan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Not much

Was Eileen worth the listening time?

It was ok

Any additional comments?

Would have liked a clear resolution. It was not the kind of novel that benefits from loose ends.

Slow to take off

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I had read, and listened to My Year of Rest and Relaxation which is a strange, original and disturbing story, then I came to Eileen a very strange , original and very disturbing story. I'm pretty robust but there's stuff in this I wish I hadn't heard and can't un-hear. Nevertheless... a gripping, brilliantly crafted horror story.

Wonderfully read, but a hard story to hear.

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amazing book, really well written, and natasha is an amazing narrator. her voice is lovely to listen to and is perfect for the book. however, if you prefer immediate action then this is not for you. can’t wait to read more from moshfegh

lovely book

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I liked and didn't like the style of story writing. it felt a bit slow and meandering at times but I suppose that is the intention.

not sure about this one

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