I am a big fan of Moshfegh's writing and was super excited to see she had a new book coming out. If you like her weird, introspective writing, this book is definitely going to be for you. It is not my favorite of her work, but I found myself gripped and unable to put the story down.

Vesta Gull is a retiree who moves to an abandoned Girl Scout Camp after the death of her husband. On one of her daily walks with her dog, Charlie, she discovers a note: "Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body." There is no body that she can see, but the note sets her mind swirling. Vesta tries to piece together the events of the murder, making up the suspects, witnesses, and Magda's life based on a list she finds online (using Ask Jeeves!) of how to write a murder mystery novel. As she 'interviews suspects,' things start to come true and weird things start to happen.

This book is super meta and genre-breaking. There are times when Moshfegh, through Vesta, breaks the fourth wall to talk to the reader about what constitutes a "good" mystery novel and what makes a bad one. I also enjoyed trying to work through what Moshfegh was doing with the names in this book. There is a town called Levant, another called Bethmane (Bethlehem + Gethsemane?). One of the names Vesta makes up for a suspect is Ghod. Her name, Vesta Gull, almost sounds like Vestigial, and a couple characters make up other similar interpretations. I also loved some of the tongue-in-cheek quirks, including a book entitled Death that lends the title to Moshfegh's book.

I'm still not 100% what Moshfegh is doing in this book, but I loved the look into Vesta's (really weird) mind. I enjoy books where things are laid out perfectly and are a little weird, but I know this won't be for everyone. In short, if you've liked Moshfegh's past work, you will like this one.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Thanks to Penguin Press for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


TW: death, death of an animal, fat shaming