Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

369 reviews

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is a weird review to write... mostly because I hate how much I love it and I love how much I hate it. You come to despise the characters (all of them), but you're also so entranced by their perplexity. That being said, it is an extremely disturbing book - in more ways than one. This isn't something to read if you just want something odd or diferent to enjoy. While it is most certainly an odd/different book compared to others I read, it was hard and disgusting at times to read. 

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dark sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Felt like it was written solely for shock value.. lots of grotesque content but not much of a plot. I kept waiting to discover the reason I should be invested in the story.. it never came. The content itself was original and creative, though, so not a total disgrace, either.

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challenging dark funny mysterious 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: Complicated

Another bizarre piece of work from Moshfegh and I really do enjoy her writing style. Straightforward, blunt and witty. Didn’t love this as much as MYORAR however as also the author creates space for thought provoking discussion - this time on religion, morals, piety and devotion in relation to our desires. All sprinkled in amongst her ability to write the most unhinged scenes and unlikeable characters. I didn’t connect or root for any of the characters, they felt more like vessels for the discussion which was at the centre of the book and honestly I didn’t mind. Solid, can’t wait to pick up another OM book

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dark 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

The story really didn't have a plot. The book jumps like almost all the characters, and I got lost on who we are following. I didn't care for anyone. The other thing meanwhile I was explaining the events I noticed how generic the story was. It's the same medieval story with pretty prose. After that I just wanted to finish it. I expected more. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A very disturbing, dark and risky read.  Major themes include frequent (and glorified) child abuse, pedophilia, sexual abuse/rape, and cannibalism. Overlay those with religious themes. Chapters are long (80+ pages) with no breaks from the depravity. Well situated for horror but make sure to steel yourself for the read. 

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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

This book was not for me in the slightest.  I don't mind a gory or harsh book but this had to many moments that were gross just for the sake of being gross.  I don't think the meditation/reflection I was supposed to consider of each character matched the absurdity of their actions. It was just WAY too much for no real payoff.

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challenging dark mysterious fast-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

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This is, unfortunately, the result of blindly trusting booktok reviews, which I will now analyze with more guardedness than before. 

I wanted to like this book. At first, the descriptions of a disabled boy and his father seem compelling, idyllic, and strangely curious. But for all of that initial image, the following pages plunged me in a deeper state of disillusion and abhorrence. While this is not written as historical fiction, it clearly takes inspiration from life in the Dark Ages, though the only art this book partakes in is its illustrative slaughter. The social critiques are sluggish, unclever, and lazy all throughout, necessitating the use of cruelty and grotesque depictions to drive home the "points," which are nothing more than mockery when compared to solid and anchored socio-political commentarists, such as Agustina Bazterrica. Truly, the latter author is now, in my mind, a genius when contrasted with Lapvona. Besides this, the book lacked a clear north, an anchor. The book is full of scenes that, even for a work of fiction, are completely implausible. The narration often includes the perspectives of characters whose voice is irrelevant to the story, and thus make it more hollow and senseless. The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica was a richer, denser, and more historically and politically anchored book than this. Ottessa Moshfegh is nothing but a clown masquerading literary deftness.

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