Lapvona

A Novel

By: Ottessa Moshfegh

Narrated by: Ottessa Moshfegh

An Instant New York Times Bestseller!

“Lapvona flips all the conventions of familial and parental relations, putting hatred where love should be or a negotiation where grief should be . . . Through a mix of witchery, deception, murder, abuse, grand delusion, ludicrous conversations, and cringeworthy moments of bodily disgust, Moshfegh creates a world that you definitely don’t want to live in, but from which you can’t look away.” —The Atlantic

In a village buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself part of a power struggle that puts the community’s faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh’s most exciting leap yet

Little Marek, the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd, believes his mother died giving birth to him. One of Marek’s few consola­tions is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife, Ina, who suckled him when he was a baby. For some people, Ina’s ability to receive trans­missions of sacred knowledge from the natural world is a godsend. For others, Ina’s home in the woods is a godless place.

The people’s desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by their depraved lord and governor, especially in this year of record drought and famine. But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lord’s family, new and occult forces arise to upset the old order. By year’s end, the veil between blindness and sight, life and death, and the natural world and the spirit world will prove to be very thin indeed.

©2022 Ottessa Moshfegh (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Moshfegh expertly creates a world with its own superstitions and laws, both timeless and topical.” —Oprah Daily

“The author of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, EW's pick for the best book of 2018, turns her inimitable lens to a medieval fiefdom ruled by deeply tribal ideas of class, family, and faith. The result reads like a cracked fairy tale, both familiar and fantastically strange (June 21).” —Entertainment Weekly, 16 novels we're excited for this summer

“No one is quite who he first seems in the latest wicked tale from macabre master Moshfegh . . . Sculpting an eerily canny fabular world of contrasts and evil, cartoonish cruelty, in her signature way, Moshfegh conjures a grotesque, disturbing story of gross inequality and senseless strife.” —Booklist

The beginning got me

There were some very good parts to this book, that really had me in my head. Unfortunately, the later half of it left me with many questions. By the end I was just happy to have finished it.

Wow

I’ve read a lot of her books, and this one was my favorite. So delectably disturbing and unpredictable.

Good read

I was recommended this book for the horror and unsettling elements, they were there but very underwhelming compared to the hype I got from those who read it. Wish I didn’t start the book thinking it was going to be super scary and uncomfortable.

Vile

probably not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. everyone saying how disgusting it is but I felt it was pretty tame. I read alot of horror though.

Underwhelming

The story is lacking. I'm just glad I finished it. If you are looking for a real thrill- this isn't it. The horror elements are just kinda gross and that's all.

Check trigger warnings!

First off, Ottessa Moshfegh did a great job narrating this book. She didn't use silly voices to distinguish between characters which I think was wise. I really appreciated the straight forward approach!

Now, the book... what a doozie. Lots of people will not like this book. Check all the trigger warnings for this one. I was impressed with the beauty and gore of this book. Story wise, it was all over the board, following several characters, none of which are particularly likeable. I wasn't routing for any of them to succeed, and I'm glad it ended the way that it did! I said what I said.

I listened to this book because someone said it would make a good A24 film. I can see why, but also, I don't think I want to see any of that with my eyeballs. The images in my head were disturbing enough! With that said, this really isn't that disgusting... there are plenty of horrendous scenes, but it's so beautifully written that my mind didn't comprehend the gore!

weird, disgusting, unfortunate, and symbolic

It doesn't rely on shock value, but it contains some of the most vile things I've read in a book. Rape, cannibalism, incest, murder, torture, and piety are some of the things you'll encounter. But all of it constructs a sober and well-constructed story of an unfortunate village in the English countryside, during the arrival of Anglo-Saxons (Northmen).

Characters have complex and full-bodied development and tensions both with others, and God. In fact, a character's personal relationship with God and the church is one of the more thoughtful forms of development.

Not all is explained in this book, and strange occurrences are sometimes left for the reader to construe. The book seems almost non-fiction, if it weren't for the actions of the character Ena, who appears to be some sort of witch critical to the story's advancement.

Some points of contention: The swapping of perspectives between characters can be confusing, especially since the author for the most part uses the same voice throughout. The ending leaves something to be desired, and the pacing of the book felt off. The meat of the book is in the first two parts, where it then slows down considerably, losing a bit of its unique agrarian charm to focus on relationships within the village keep, which isn't as exciting as I find it overdone in mainstream media.

Loneliness

Is the theme of the book and it is her best one thus far. Plus, she’s the reader 💗🥲

Depravity

The story was interesting, but this was a journey of wanton depravity and taboo breaking. Yeah I stuck with it until the end. It'll push your comfort level in a big way.

Well written. Not for everyone, but if it’s for you, you’ll give it 4 stars.

A genuinely good book. Two steps away from great. A few parts seems simply inserted for shock value. That said, there are some character studies in it that truest excel. Well done.