There is a particular kind of satisfaction you get from reading something that is really, really well written – and “Homesick for Another World” gives me that in spades. It’s a superbly crafted collection of short stories in which Ottessa Moshfegh delivers a whole carnival of characters from the dark under-belly of modern society (mainly the US, but the stories could be set almost anywhere). In one way or other, virtually all the protagonists are flawed: unstable, disgusting, morally corrupt, delusional, addictive…
Sounds like a really temping page-turner, eh?! But it is. And it is because of Moshfegh’s style and the way she writes – superbly accomplished.
For example, when a woman writes as a man – and vice versa! – the overall tone can grate because the voice is not authentic; but in Moshfegh’s case, this is not true. When she writes as a man, it’s a man’s voice you hear.
Can’t recommend it enough.
Ian Gouge - Writer 