Very dark, but surprisingly funny. I laughed out loud in public several times while listening to the audiobook. 

Moshfegh perfectly captures the desire to just step into a new life. The deep self-loathing that makes a person desperate to wake up as a new person. 

The desperation of addiction is also written perfectly.

When Riva takes the narrator's pills, the narrator's reaction is extremely accurate to a real addict's. Tearing apart her apartment to find anything, imagining taking the pills to try and satisfy her mind, the willingness to go to any length to get them back, the way that she cannot think of anything else besides her addiction. It's harrowing to read if you've ever experienced addiction yourself or been close to someone who has.

50% repetitive filler, 50% build up to a climax that gets resolved in a sentence. 
The characters are all over the place, constantly changing their beliefs and stances to whatever fits the dialogue Grant feels like writing in the moment. 
Several characters flit back and forth between wanting to drive the mermaids into extinction and wanting to protect them at all costs, without any reasoning whatsoever. One character changes her stance on this at least twice in a single conversation.
Almost every plot point and conversation is dragged out and repeated.
It's obvious that this was written with a sequel in mind. If there is one, I will not be reading it. I don't think I'll pick up anything by this author again. 
There is a lot of disability representation in this book, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Grant focuses on the disability of the characters at the expense of the characters themselves. The two deaf characters especially. They are infantalized at every turn, not just by other characters, but also the narration. I don't think there is a single line about them that is not about them being deaf.

One of the two is the first to die within the main story. The other disappears for almost the entire book, only to be brought back into the story because her deafness makes her scream sound different and it confuses the mermaids.

This book is incredibly mediocre and I would not recommend it to anyone. 

The plot can be thin, a little meandering at times, and relies a bit on sudden bouts of exposition.
HOWEVER 
It's a great read. The prose is wonderful without being flowery. The tone is a great mix of ethereal, slightly detached, and beautifully caring; it really feels like it's being told by a ghost with little connection to the living. 
It can be unbearably tense at times. Just about every scene with The Smiling Man had me practically chanting "oh no oh no oh no." 
My only real issue is that we don't see enough of/about the villain to get a real sense of the stakes. It felt like she was pushed aside a bit too much and we were never really given an idea of how bad things would be if she were to succeed. 
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be getting the sequel. 

This is one of the absolute worst books I have ever tried to read. Putrid garbage 

I lost my copy. I'll get back to it when I find it 

I lost my copy. I'll get back to it when I find it