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A review by dannilmp
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
2.0
Once again, another head scratching book by Moshfegh with a just as ambigious ending. The only other book I have read by this author is My Year of Rest and Relaxation but I can see some consistency in the writing. Cetainly a good book to read if you are looking for something dark, mysterious but also like endings that leave you thinking. I'm starting to notice a theme with Moshfegh's books. The pacing appears slow in the beginning but you hit a major event at about 75% and then the last quarter feels like it was only ten pages but there is enough content to sink the titanic!
I did not really enjoy this novel so finding something positive to say is difficult. However, despite the dark themes of this book, there were occasions that had me laughing as there were quite humurous. The ability to write characters and to be able to viserally hate every single one of them, but I still want to read every word? Amazing, but not a book I will ever read again. Make sure to prepare some good eye bleach and take plenty of rest breaks while reading this book.
Looking at the downsides to this novel, it felt as though a lot of the scenes were made even more gory or stomach churning for effect rather than plot purposes. Make sure to read content warnings carefully before venturing to read this novel. Not a single character had a single redeeming trait in their bones and some characters were certainly worse than others! Despite the fact that there were clearly some otherworlding magic things happening in this world, the setting felt strangely comparable to our physical world, especially concerning topics such as public unrest, greed/hoarding wealth, poverty and famine.
I did not really enjoy this novel so finding something positive to say is difficult. However, despite the dark themes of this book, there were occasions that had me laughing as there were quite humurous. The ability to write characters and to be able to viserally hate every single one of them, but I still want to read every word? Amazing, but not a book I will ever read again. Make sure to prepare some good eye bleach and take plenty of rest breaks while reading this book.
Looking at the downsides to this novel, it felt as though a lot of the scenes were made even more gory or stomach churning for effect rather than plot purposes. Make sure to read content warnings carefully before venturing to read this novel. Not a single character had a single redeeming trait in their bones and some characters were certainly worse than others! Despite the fact that there were clearly some otherworlding magic things happening in this world, the setting felt strangely comparable to our physical world, especially concerning topics such as public unrest, greed/hoarding wealth, poverty and famine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Suicide, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Murder, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Pregnancy