Eileen - Book Review

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Eileen, a psychological thriller by Ottessa Moshfegh, is an intense and unsettling novel that follows the life of Eileen Dunlop, a lonely, disturbed young woman living in a bleak New England town in the 1960s. Moshfegh’s work is both a character study and a suspenseful mystery, blending dark humour with themes of alienation, desire, and self-loathing. Through Eileen’s interior monologue, the reader is drawn into her tortured psyche, experiencing her anger, her fantasies, and ultimately, her descent into an act of shocking violence. The novel garnered critical acclaim, receiving nominations for major awards and cementing Moshfegh as a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.

The novel takes place in a small, dreary Massachusetts town during the bitterly cold winter of 1964. This setting reflects Eileen’s inner world, which is bleak and trapped, mirroring the monotony and isolation of her life. Moshfegh’s descriptions of the town, its frozen streets and lifeless landscape, create a palpable sense of entrapment, echoing the atmosphere of loneliness that permeates Eileen’s existence.

Eileen works as a secretary at a juvenile detention centre for boys, an institution as bleak as her life outside of it. The detention centre is portrayed as a grim place, full of neglected and troubled boys who are treated with indifference or cruelty. This setting highlights the novel’s themes of punishment, both self-inflicted and societal, and serves as a stage where much of Eileen’s moral ambiguity is developed. The detention centre is both a source of fascination and revulsion for her, particularly as she harbours dark fantasies about the boys there.

Eileen lives with her alcoholic, abusive father, a retired police officer who spends his days drinking and berating her. Their relationship is toxic and dysfunctional; Eileen feels simultaneously obligated to care for him and repulsed by him. This toxic home life fuels her resentment and self-hatred, driving her to indulge in dark fantasies and self-destructive behaviours.

Eileen Dunlop is an anti-heroine in the truest sense—she is bitter, resentful, self-loathing, and filled with both yearning and disgust. In her early twenties, Eileen feels older than her years, weighed down by her oppressive life. Her existence is defined by repression: she represses her sexuality, her anger, and her desires. She describes herself in grotesque terms, highlighting her poor hygiene, her emaciated frame, and her unhealthy relationship with her body.

Eileen’s voice is raw and unfiltered; she narrates the story in the first person, often breaking the fourth wall to address the reader directly. This narrative style draws readers into her mind, making them complicit in her thoughts and actions. Moshfegh skilfully balances Eileen’s self-awareness with her deep-seated delusions, creating a character who is both pitiable and repugnant. Eileen is painfully aware of her limitations and her inability to escape her life, yet she clings to her fantasies as a form of escape.

One of Eileen’s primary desires is to escape from her life, a longing that manifests in obsessive fantasies about her own death or departure. She is obsessed with the idea of transformation and reinvention, yet she feels incapable of making any meaningful change. This feeling of being trapped is one of the novel’s most powerful themes, as Eileen’s desire for freedom clashes with her self-hatred and passivity.



Eileen’s life takes a dramatic turn when Rebecca Saint John arrives at the detention centre. Rebecca is everything Eileen is not—beautiful, confident, and seemingly in control of her life. Eileen is instantly captivated by Rebecca, developing a deep infatuation with her. Rebecca represents the possibility of escape, a way out of Eileen’s miserable life, and Eileen quickly becomes obsessed with the idea of befriending her.

Rebecca’s arrival brings a glimmer of excitement to Eileen’s otherwise monotonous life, but it also exposes the depth of Eileen’s capacity for self-deception. Eileen idealizes Rebecca, seeing her as a potential saviour who can offer her an escape from her dreary existence. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that Rebecca is not as perfect as Eileen imagines. In fact, she harbours her own darkness, and her motivations are far from pure.

The relationship between Eileen and Rebecca is central to the novel’s plot. Rebecca is manipulative and seductive, drawing Eileen into her schemes with promises of friendship and intimacy. Eileen is both infatuated with and intimidated by Rebecca, desperate for her approval yet wary of her intentions. This dynamic creates a sense of tension and unease, as it becomes clear that Rebecca’s interest in Eileen is not entirely benign.

Alienation is one of the dominant themes in Eileen. Eileen is isolated from the world around her, and disconnected from her family, her co-workers, and even herself. She is a loner by nature, spending most of her time either working at the detention centre or wandering aimlessly around town. Her only source of companionship is her abusive father, who treats her with contempt and hostility. This sense of isolation is compounded by Eileen’s deep-seated self-loathing, which prevents her from forming meaningful connections with others.

Eileen’s self-hatred manifests in her disturbing fantasies and masochistic tendencies. She often imagines herself as a corpse or fantasizes about her own death as a form of escape. This morbid fascination with death is tied to her feelings of worthlessness and her desire to escape her miserable existence. Eileen’s relationship with her own body is similarly warped; she describes herself in grotesque terms, emphasizing her emaciation and lack of hygiene.

Moshfegh uses Eileen’s self-loathing to explore the theme of punishment, both self-imposed and societal. Eileen punishes herself by denying herself pleasure and indulging in self-destructive behaviours. She is also fascinated by the boys at the detention centre, viewing them as reflections of her own moral failings. Her fixation on punishment reflects her belief that she deserves to suffer, a belief that is reinforced by her toxic relationship with her father.

One of the most distinctive aspects of Eileen is Moshfegh’s use of dark humour. Eileen’s narration is filled with morbidly funny observations, often revealing her disdain for the people around her. Her cynical outlook and biting wit provide moments of comic relief, even as they underscore the darkness of her character. Moshfegh’s writing is sharp and precise, capturing the bleakness of Eileen’s world while also imbuing it with a twisted sense of humour.

Moshfegh’s prose is both direct and descriptive, painting a vivid picture of Eileen’s physical and emotional environment. Her descriptions of the town, the detention centre, and Eileen’s home are richly detailed, creating a sense of claustrophobia and decay. Moshfegh’s writing is unflinching in its portrayal of Eileen’s thoughts and behaviours, refusing to shy away from the ugliness of her character. This unfiltered approach makes Eileen a challenging but compelling narrator, forcing readers to confront her darkest impulses.

The humour in Eileen is often uncomfortable, as it reveals the absurdity of Eileen’s self-perception and the bleakness of her situation. Moshfegh’s use of humour highlights the contrast between Eileen’s fantasies and her reality, exposing the depth of her self-delusion. This dark humour adds a layer of complexity to the novel, as it forces readers to question their reactions to Eileen’s actions and to reconsider their judgments of her character.

The novel builds towards a shocking climax, as Eileen becomes entangled in a crime that alters the course of her life. This act of violence is both liberating and destructive, allowing Eileen to break free from her life while also confronting the darkness within herself. Moshfegh masterfully builds tension throughout the novel, leading to a climactic act that feels both inevitable and surprising.

This climax serves as a moment of transformation for Eileen, marking the end of her old life and the beginning of something new. However, this transformation is not a redemption; rather, it is an acceptance of her true nature. Eileen’s journey is not one of self-improvement but of self-acceptance, as she comes to terms with her capacity for violence and her desire for freedom.

The novel’s ending is both satisfying and unsettling, leaving readers with a sense of ambiguity about Eileen’s future. Moshfegh does not offer a neat resolution, instead allowing Eileen’s character to remain complex and unresolved. This ambiguity adds to the novel’s power, as it forces readers to grapple with the darkness of Eileen’s character and the moral implications of her actions.

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh is a dark and disturbing novel that delves deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of alienation, desire, and self-loathing. Through the character of Eileen Dunlop, Moshfegh creates a compelling anti-heroine whose journey is both tragic and liberating. The novel’s bleak setting, complex character dynamics, and unsettling climax make it a powerful exploration of the darker aspects of human nature.

Moshfegh’s unflinching portrayal of Eileen’s thoughts and behaviours, combined with her sharp prose and dark humor, creates a narrative that is both engrossing and uncomfortable. Eileen challenges readers to confront their own judgments and assumptions, inviting them to enter the mind of a character who is deeply flawed but undeniably human. In doing so, Moshfegh crafts a novel that is both a thrilling psychological mystery and a profound exploration of identity and transformation.

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