Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh

Death in Her Hands
by Ottessa Moshfegh
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Death in Her Hands isn't so much a story told as it is a story experienced. On one hand, we bear witness to the internal monologue of our main character, Vesta, a 72 year old widow whose sole companion is her dog - looking through her eyes only. On the other hand, however, it is as though Vesta is speaking directly to us, sharing her story in painstaking detail as if we are a friend with whom she is sharing her deepest thoughts. 

The story begins as Vesta, while going on her daily walk with her dog, finds a note on the path in the woods. This note reads, "Her name was Madga. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body." Strangely, there is no body accompanying the note. Vesta is immediately intrigued by the mystery of the message and thus begins her investigation into (and obsession with?)  Magda and who could have possibly killed her. 

Death in Her Hands is small but mighty - it's thought provoking, unique, honest, and brutal in its portrayal of loneliness. Vesta is an unreliable narrator in my opinion. She's likeable, vapid, judgmental, compassionate, delusional, and straightforward all at the same time. I loved her for all of these reasons. She is a character that I found extremely hypocritical and extremely human. I feel like we all have a little bit of Vesta inside of us. 

The story itself is well written and there were moments where I had to stop because it felt like I was being personally called out by Ottessa Moshfegh. I resonated so much with the grief, loneliness, and the conflicting emotions that were truly at the heart of this novel. Moshfegh is an author that is understandably divisive - some readers adore her work and others, not so much. Death in Her Hands is similar in that not everyone has enjoyed this book. I honestly loved it and found it a really refreshing and profound story.

Overall, if you haven't picked this one up yet, take a chance on it! It's not very long and I feel like it is just weird enough without being TOO weird for the general reader to enjoy it. I chose purposefully not to go too deeply into the synopsis/my feelings in this review because it's impossible to do so without giving spoilers. Just read it!! I, personally, was enchanted by Death in Her Hands and I can't wait to read more by Ottessa Moshfegh! 

- trigger warnings - fatphobia, ab*rtion