Now a major motion picture streaming on Hulu, starring Anne Hathaway and Thomasin McKenzie Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize “Eileen is a remarkable piece of writing, always dark and surprising, sometimes ugly and occasionally hilarious. Its first-person narrator is one of the strangest, most messed-up, most pathetic—and yet, in her own inimitable way, endearing—misfits I’ve encountered in fiction. Trust me, you have never read anything remotely like Eileen.” —Washington Post So here we are. My name was Eileen Dunlop. Now you know me. I was twenty-four years old then, and had a job that paid fifty-seven dollars a week as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teenage boys. I think of it now as what it really was for all intents and purposes—a prison for boys. I will call it Moorehead. Delvin Moorehead was a terrible landlord I had years later, and so to use his name for such a place feels appropriate. In a week, I would run away from home and never go back. This is the story of how I disappeared. The Christmas season offers little cheer for Eileen Dunlop, an unassuming yet disturbed young woman trapped between her role as her alcoholic father’s caretaker in a home whose squalor is the talk of the neighborhood and a day job as a secretary at the boys’ prison, filled with its own quotidian horrors. Consumed by resentment and self-loathing, Eileen tempers her dreary days with perverse fantasies and dreams of escaping to the big city. In the meantime, she fills her nights and weekends with shoplifting, stalking a buff prison guard named Randy, and cleaning up her increasingly deranged father’s messes. When the bright, beautiful, and cheery Rebecca Saint John arrives on the scene as the new counselor at Moorehead, Eileen is enchanted and proves unable to resist what appears at first 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. Played out against the snowy landscape of coastal New England in the days leading up to Christmas, young Eileen’s story is told from the gimlet-eyed perspective of the now much older narrator. Creepy, mesmerizing, and sublimely funny, in the tradition of Shirley Jackson and early Vladimir Nabokov, this powerful debut novel enthralls and shocks, and introduces one of the most original new voices in contemporary literature. Ottessa Moshfegh is also the author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Homesick for Another World: Stories, and McGlue.
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About the author
Ottessa Moshfegh
Author
Ottessa Charlotte Moshfegh is an American author and novelist. Her debut novel, Eileen (2015), won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and was a fiction finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Moshfegh's subsequent novels include My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Death in Her Hands, and Lapvona.
Eileen
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Books Like Eileen
If you're looking for books similar to Eileen, here are some recommendations based on themes, tone, and narrative style.
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
A controversial novel exploring psychological complexity through an unreliable narrator. Like 'Eileen', it features a dark, introspective narrative style. The book challenges readers' perceptions through its complex psychological portrayal and morally ambiguous protagonist.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Ottessa Moshfegh
Another dark, unconventional novel by Moshfegh featuring a deeply troubled female protagonist. The story follows a young woman in New York who attempts to hibernate through life by taking excessive sleeping pills. Like 'Eileen', it explores psychological complexity, social alienation, and dark humor through an introspective narrative voice. The protagonist's extreme behaviors and sardonic perspective create a similarly unsettling reading experience.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Patricia Highsmith
A psychological thriller about a sociopathic protagonist who manipulates and murders to achieve his goals. Like 'Eileen', the novel explores psychological complexity and moral ambiguity. The protagonist's inner world is revealed through a compelling, dark narrative that challenges traditional moral boundaries.
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
A semi-autobiographical novel about a young woman's descent into mental illness and societal pressures. Like 'Eileen', it features a young female protagonist navigating a challenging psychological landscape. The book explores themes of alienation, depression, and the struggle to find one's identity in a restrictive social environment.
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Flannery O'Connor
A collection of short stories featuring dark, grotesque characters and unexpected violence. Similar to 'Eileen', these stories explore the darker side of human nature with a sharp, sardonic tone. O'Connor's work reveals the complexity of human psychology through seemingly ordinary situations.
The Vegetarian
Han Kang
A dark, psychological novel about a woman's radical decision to become vegetarian. Similar to 'Eileen', it explores psychological breakdown and societal pressures. The narrative reveals the protagonist's inner world through a series of disturbing and transformative experiences.
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
A psychological thriller about a damaged female protagonist returning to her hometown to investigate a murder. The novel shares 'Eileen's' dark psychological landscape, exploring themes of family dysfunction, personal trauma, and inner darkness. The protagonist struggles with mental health issues and complex family relationships, creating a similarly intense and uncomfortable narrative.
White Teeth
Zadie Smith
A complex novel exploring family, identity, and cultural displacement. While different in style, it shares 'Eileen's' interest in complex character psychology. The book presents a nuanced exploration of human relationships and individual struggles within broader social contexts.
Notes on a Scandal
Zoë Heller
A psychological drama about obsession and inappropriate relationships. Similar to 'Eileen', it explores complex female psychology and social boundaries. The narrative reveals the intricate inner worlds of its characters through a compelling, dark perspective.
Homesick for Another World
Ottessa Moshfegh
A collection of short stories featuring characters on the margins of society. Like 'Eileen', these stories explore psychological darkness, social alienation, and unconventional characters. Each story presents a unique perspective on human dysfunction and inner turmoil.
The Driver's Seat
Muriel Spark
A dark, unconventional novel about a woman's psychological unraveling. Like 'Eileen', it features a protagonist who defies traditional narrative expectations. The book explores psychological complexity and individual alienation through a unique, unsettling narrative voice.
The Grip of It
Jac Jemc
A psychological horror novel about a couple experiencing strange phenomena in their new home. Like 'Eileen', it explores psychological tension and personal disintegration. The narrative creates an atmosphere of unease through its complex character study.
McGlue
Ottessa Moshfegh
Moshfegh's debut novella about a troubled sailor accused of murder. Similar to 'Eileen', it features a dark, introspective narrative with a morally ambiguous protagonist. The book explores psychological complexity, trauma, and isolation through a raw and unflinching narrative voice.
Asylum
Madeleine Roux
A psychological thriller set in a former psychiatric hospital. Similar to 'Eileen', it explores themes of psychological darkness and institutional settings. The narrative reveals the complex psychological landscape of its characters through a suspenseful, unsettling story.
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