Lapvona

by Ottessa Moshfegh
Lapvona cover
Good Books rating 3.5
Gothic
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  • ID: 7883
  • Added: 2025-12-18
  • Updated: 2025-12-31
  • ISBN: 9780593607701
  • Publisher: National Geographic Books
  • Published: 2022-07-05
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 3

Lapvona is a chilling exploration of power, faith, and the blurred lines between reality and delusion. Set in a village ravaged by natural disasters, the story revolves around Little Marek, an abused and delusional shepherd boy who becomes entangled in a violent power struggle involving the depraved lord Villiam and the manipulative priest Father Barnabas. The village's desperation for belief is cruelly tested as occult forces begin to upset the established order. /n/n Ottessa Moshfegh's novel is a masterful blend of witchery, deception, and bodily horror, creating a world that is both repulsive and impossible to look away from. The narrative delves into the darkest aspects of human nature, with a unique ability to communicate with the natural world adding a layer of magical realism to the grim setting. As the veil between life and death, sight and blindness, begins to thin, the characters are forced to confront the true nature of their beliefs and the powers that control their lives.

Reviews
Literary Review · John Maier · 2022-06-21
bleak 3.00

The author takes delight in portraying inhumanity, putrefaction, filth, and cruelty, with no characters providing a redeeming quality. The novel is a bleak and unrelenting exploration of human depravity.

John Maier notes that the author seems to take pleasure in depicting the darkest aspects of human nature. The novel is filled with scenes of inhumanity, putrefaction, and cruelty, with no characters offering a positive or redeeming quality. Maier finds the portrayal of the medieval setting and the characters' struggles to be both vivid and bleak. The novel's unrelenting exploration of human depravity makes it a challenging but impactful read. The reviewer appreciates the author's detailed and astounding writing, which adds depth to the story.

Quick quotes

    The author seems to take an active delight in portraying inhumanity, putrefaction, filth, and cruelty.

    Not one of the characters, major or minor, provides a redeeming quality.

    The novel is a bleak and unrelenting exploration of human depravity, set against the backdrop of a medieval fiefdom.

Los Angeles Times · Laura K. Kelly · 2022-06-17
brilliant 4.00

The novel is a brilliant chronicler of the corruptibility of power, set in a medieval town on the brink of chaos. The story is filled with vivid and unsettling portrayals of the characters' struggles.

Laura K. Kelly praises the novel for its brilliant portrayal of the corruptibility of power. Set in a medieval town on the brink of chaos, the story is filled with vivid and unsettling portrayals of the characters' struggles. Kelly appreciates the author's detailed and astounding writing, which adds depth to the story. The reviewer finds the exploration of the characters' struggles and the setting to be both compelling and impactful. However, the bleak and unrelenting nature of the story may not appeal to all readers.

Quick quotes

    Moshfegh is a brilliant chronicler of the absolute corruptibility of any small dose of power.

    The novel is set in a medieval town on the brink of recognizing the putrid waste of its own existence.

    The story is filled with vivid and unsettling portrayals of the characters' struggles and the setting's chaos.

The Guardian · Madeline McIntosh · 2022-06-14
grotesque 3.50

The novel delves into humanity's primal urges, set in a medieval fiefdom, and is described as a carnival of the grotesque. The plot is secondary to the exploration of these dark themes.

The reviewer highlights how the novel focuses more on the darker aspects of human nature rather than a traditional plot. Set in a medieval fiefdom, the story is filled with grotesque and unsettling elements. The reviewer finds the exploration of primal urges and inhumanity to be the most compelling aspects of the book. They appreciate the vivid and outlandish portrayal of the setting and characters, which adds to the overall impact of the story. However, the lack of a strong plot may not appeal to all readers.

Quick quotes

    Plot plays second fiddle to humanity's primal urges in Moshfegh's charged and outlandish latest novel set in a medieval fiefdom.

    The novel is a carnival of the grotesque, filled with unsettling and vivid portrayals of inhumanity.

    Moshfegh's writing is both detailed and astounding, capturing the essence of the medieval setting and the characters' struggles.

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