Homesick for Another World

Moshfegh's (Eileen) short stories take place in different locales and time periods, but her characters are notable for how much of their lives take place internally. In "Mr. Wu," set in China, the titular character loves a woman from afar and has a visceral reaction to their imagined sexual relationship before he ever approaches her romantically. The unnamed protagonist of "Bettering Myself" exhibits a distinct lack of interest in self-improvement but thinks extensively about the shortcomings she sees in others. "The Locked Room" accurately captures the heart-racing introspection that accompanies an unanticipated stressful situation. Narrators Alyssa Bresnahan and Richard Poe are generally successful in their depiction of the collection's large number of characters, although there is a briskness to Bresnahan's speech that confers a sense of sameness to the stories she narrates.