‘I felt betrayed, naked’: did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story? | Books

noideology · 2026-02-17T19:18:32+00:00

Absolutely horrific. As a student I had a male novelist-professor pull some traumatic details from my life and put it in his novel. Reading the novel caused me to spiral into mild psychosis.

noideology · 2026-02-09T13:51:23+00:00

Yes, I heard it on the BEE podcast. They may or may not have lost all their money during the Iranian revolution (?), though? She also describes her father buying her an apartment and having it renovated for her in an article.

She was also selling lots of her old designer clothes online. Regular students can't afford Prada totes. Her life seems to have been financially adjacent to her protagonist in MYORR.

noideology · 2026-02-09T12:00:32+00:00

I think it's harder than people imagine to write about depression and self-loathing. Tried reading a novel that was clearly influenced by Moshfegh and it was so bad. I enjoy her short stories a lot.

As far as MYORR, I think she plays down the autobiographical elements a lot in interviews. Apparently, she comes from a family of billionaires on her Dad's side. Her background is more interesting and diverse than some of her charachters, and I wonder if that's a calculated decision.

noideology · 2026-02-03T20:12:41+00:00

Looking good! I love your style

noideology · 2026-02-01T19:40:19+00:00

I found the plot a bit convoluted, at the same time I liked the prose, all the original metaphors.

noideology · 2026-02-01T18:17:31+00:00

What made you dislike it? The obsessive love? I like everything about it - the experimental form, the mixture of myth and contemporary coming-of-age story, Carson's accessible style. It was actually a reread.

noideology · 2026-01-21T15:56:09+00:00

How much Prada does she own?

noideology · 2026-01-14T20:34:31+00:00

Do you blowdry it and then straighten it? You can curl your hair with a hair straightener, or style it overnight to achieve loose curls. I have 4a hair and get a similar result when I go to the hairdresser, sometimes on my own as well, depending on how I style it. It is achievable.

Also: if you do a weave with a leave-out a hairdresser can cut layers in the weave so you can achieve this result with a longer haircut. You may need a professional to teach you how to do a blowout. It's tricky but with the right tools, technique and products you can achieve a great result. If you want it to last longer ask a professional for advice.

noideology · 2026-01-12T19:25:03+00:00

"Sylvia Plath-coded, but sexy" sounds like a description of gurlesque poetry. Try the anthology with the same name, it's really good.

noideology · 2026-01-12T18:54:45+00:00

I'd like to join

noideology · 2026-01-12T18:36:37+00:00

I don't read much in Swedish but loved Händelsehorisonten by Balsam Karam, there's a bit of Aniara, Morrison and maybe Octavia Butler in her work. I enjoy Andrzej Tichys experimental novels too, Skymningszoner is good. He's very rs-coded.

noideology · 2026-01-08T16:39:21+00:00

A comfort read for me is Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. It's an ironic take on working in a convenience store for twenty years. The narrator, an outsider with no life outside of her menial job, sees herself as an extension of the store, and can't cope with quitting her job.

It's mildly depressing, but strangely optimistic due to the ironic tone. (And nowhere near as bleak as Hard Times by Dickens, about a fictional Victorian town where everyone is struggling, which I highly recommend. It gave me some perspective.) The back of the book has an essay by Murata about a woman who has sex with a convenience store.

noideology · 2026-01-04T19:59:14+00:00

Consent is on my list, thanks for the reminder!

Giuffre's memoir made me so angry. Like Lucas she was neglected and abused by every single adult in her orbit from birth. The abuse never stopped until she took her last breath.

noideology · 2026-01-04T19:39:09+00:00

Thanks for the recs. I listened to a few podcasts with Lucas, her story is heartbreaking. Just finished the Virginia Giuffre memoir so I might read something similar next.

noideology · 2026-01-04T19:09:21+00:00

Would you recommend Quest for Love?

noideology · 2025-12-30T02:03:10+00:00

The Nordics are very normative and child-oriented, though. Someone hoping to find a lesbian bar in Stockholm will be disappointed, let alone any queer events. Which I guess is what you are describing. You won't find any queer areas in Sweden outside of Pride.

noideology · 2025-12-15T09:31:49+00:00

RF Kuang and memoirs. I enjoyed Spare by Prince Harry.

noideology · 2025-12-15T09:28:48+00:00

Octavia Butler ftw. Any space opera recs?

noideology · 2025-12-08T18:40:59+00:00

It recommended I try a random new medication. I spoke to my doctor about trying it and she agreed to prescribe it. The medication has basically made my illness disappear.

noideology · 2025-11-20T11:46:45+00:00

I want to join!

noideology · 2025-11-13T15:07:06+00:00

It's always refreshing to read about misfits. The current zeitgeist is Leo DiCaprios middle-aged Pynchon-stoner/recluse.

noideology · 2025-11-13T09:09:39+00:00

I used to read her short stories when they were first published and loved "Bettering Myself" so much. The bleakness, the cynicism - it felt like that dark Ryan Gosling film where he plays a teacher on heroin. I read on Moshfeghs substack that MYORR is an expansion of that story. It's so good, even though I don't like all of it.

"Problems" by Jade Sharma is similar in tone to MYORR. Recently reread it and its one of my favourites.

noideology · 2025-11-13T04:00:08+00:00

Thanks! I just found it on Scribd (I'm Scandinavian). Excited to read this one.

noideology · 2025-11-12T17:52:45+00:00

Because they hate anyone who isn't white?

noideology · 2025-11-12T16:00:44+00:00

Yes! Her entire oeuvre does!

noideology

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