Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Lapvona

I admit I picked this book on a whim, mostly because the cover was pretty and I felt like trying something “different”. And so I went in completely blind.

Let’s just say that quickly enough, my jaw was on a floor in utter shock and slight horror. Multiple times, I had to go back and read sentences one more time just to be sure I hadn’t (somehow) made up the words I just read.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad book, but rather a disturbing one. The only sane (and I’m being very generous with the term) character in this, and that I actually liked, was the old man Grigor. The rest of the cast easily represent what can go wrong in human beings or just how easily people can excuse their misconduct or wrongdoings.

Marek is the product of constant abuse, even though some are disguised as affection (I’m looking at you Ina) who distort religion to comply with what he believes in.
Jude, his father, is just as bad and probably the one who really disturbed me once we reached
the subject of Marek’s mother
. I had to put my book down multiple times because of him.
William is infantile, using the excuse of entertaining himself to abuse his staff or village. He uses religion and fear as tools to control the habitants of Lapvona
.
Ina, who if you read the book, really can make you feel disgusted with how she acts with Marek, Jude, etc…
Marek’s mother, “Agatha”: is maybe the only one who made me feel bad about what happened to her. From the beginning till the end, she is a tool for the men around her, suffering abuse every time she tries to escape her situation. Even at the end, she is used by Ina to full-fill the old woman’s wishes.
Grigor: as stated earlier, might be only true sane person in the entirety of the novel. While gruff, he is not cruel or violent. He does not uses religion as a weapon but tries to help his people. Even though he is far from perfection, he might be the only one close to it in this novel.

If I’m honest, I do not think the plot truly went anywhere. This is just about people and how bad they can to themselves and each other, about how easy it is for humans to be cruel.

As I stated, not a bad book. But it is not for everyone and it wasn’t for me, despite my rating. I will probably never read it again (unless I want to see if my review would be the same).

Content Warnings

emilychristina's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.0

is there a single character with any redeeming qualities in this book? absolutely not. does the plot move along in an enjoyable and captivating way? the plot has left the room. does the author allude to a supposed 2nd christ child being flung off a cliff? allegedly. someone said they felt like ottessa moshfegh was trying to waterboard the reader and it's absolutely true and yet i'm giving it 4 stars. no i cannot and will not elaborate.

Content Warnings

lilylivresque's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Utterly disturbing yet—whether due to the deplorable characters and their plights, or the embrace of the natural sublime—I could not put this book down.

Content Warnings

erikaraz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

zabz0013's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective 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

3.75

Spend through it to not linger on the horrors of this book, The Great type energy but much more graphic and GoT level sex. Definitely gives you something to chew on

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