Lapvona

A Novel

By: Ottessa Moshfegh

Narrated by: Ottessa Moshfegh

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Absolutely depressing…

I remember reading someone say that Game of Thrones is happier than this. And since I’ve been rereading through the ASOIAF once again, I have to agree.

It was a very interesting and strange plot and I’m looking forward to reading lore from this author.

ok

this book was hyped too much for my liking - not horror per se but gross and not exactly riveting. still all in all not horrible and worth reading

Not for me

All in all, I don’t understand the hype behind this piece. Was recommended by so many friends, and just left very underwhelmed after reading it. If it icks you, and makes your skin crawl, than more power to you.Didn’t really move me and don’t feel fulfilled after reading this piece .

Mesmerizing read by the author.

An otherworldly earthy tale, tender and brutal. The spoken words a soft poetry. Greatly enjoyed.

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.

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.

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.

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!