Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

26 reviews

captainyaht's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child death, and Suicide

Minor: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, and Murder

minaopal's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Sexual assault, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Incest, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, and Self harm

missymaus's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

One of the most grotesque books I've ever read. Interesting but definitely not for the faint of heart/stomach.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual violence, Stalking, Bullying, Classism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Gore, Colonisation, Death, Child death, Abortion, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Religious bigotry, Blood, Body horror, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Incest, Excrement, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

nixieba25f's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Ableism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Self harm

rqdreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

HAVE YOU SURVIVED LAPVONA? 🐑

This might be then most disturbing, unhinged, disgusting book I've come across and I literally couldn't stop. It's as if the author wrote with the intention of, "how can I make the reader squirm with every page?"

Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh needs all content warning on the planet. I just put everything as graphic because really the entire thing is graphic. Like, if you can think it, it's in there. This book is NOT for the weak and I don't even know how to rate it? What to think about it? It's the most problematic, twisted, fucked up macabre shit I've ever read. 

Have you seen what happens in Midnight Mass when people blindly follow the priest? Add an isolated medieval fiefdom with starving peasants who are being controlled and tortured by their lord for funsies. Moshfegh finds a way to make your senses ignite. My stomach turned frequently from the descriptions of the rot and ruin.

Every single time I thought, "there is no way it gets worse," I was wrong. I used to be a person who couldn't watch scary movies or read horror books with the lights off but lately nothing has been scaring me... but this is? Lapvona is true horror to me because it's humanity at it's absolute worst.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Excrement, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Torture, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Death

soswiin's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i wanted a medieval version of my year of rest and relaxation and i got the most disgusting book i’ve ever read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Abortion

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Body shaming

gigette's review against another edition

dark funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wild. Dark. Disturbing. I don’t know how many “what-the-fucks” i’ve said. No likable characters (except for Lispeth maybe?). This is so good and intriguing though, it will either leave you wanting for more or just rage quit the damn book 🤣

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Body horror, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Grief, Abandonment, Violence, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Cursing, Vomit, Misogyny, Gore, Child death, Blood, Pedophilia, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

issyd23's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Elites use religion and class to control masses 3🍇 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal death, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Classism, Torture, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Incest, Gore, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Rape, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide

unboxedjack's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Animal death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Incest and Adult/minor relationship

thearchivist03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

So...where to start?
You're not supposed to like the characters, and it's very body gore oriented with a side of medieval soft world building. It's captivating at first when Ottessa writes about each character's suffering, but you soon get desensitized and perhaps go a little mad and laugh at the over the top chaos.
I hear some people say that one of the characters is representative of female rage, but this character strikes me as thrown in out of the blue for more plot development. It does have an open ending, just a heads up.
I have such a love-hate relationship with the author and this book. I did enjoy the descriptions and her writing style of scenery and the world, but keep in mind her character descriptions and development brink on grotesque and nihilistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Ableism, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Gore

Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

Lots of detail in the excrement and fluids part. And all the sexual violence scenes primarily take place in the abuser's point of view, even though it's omniscient. It demonizes women a lot, be warned.