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A review by myrtosfullybooked
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
4.0
The eerie medieval and decaying atmosphere was excellently portrayed and despite the horrific things described, the book flowed smoothly and absorbed me. Moshfegh does a marvellous job of turning dark, sinister, and often horrific behaviours into matter-of-fact, almost menial, things through her writing. As other reviewers have also remarked, I too found this book springing right out of a "Green Knight"-like or "The Wich"-like universe. Lapvonians seemed crooked physically and figuratively, disturbing and sinked in absolutely oblivious misery.
I absolutely loved the subtle way through which O.M. exposed every character's perverse religious piety, ultimately manifesting into greedy, pointless or degrading and antiheroic way of life. The book never offers a happy ending or a redeeming element to miserable Lapnova, and much like the seasons' circular moves that also mark the passage of the book's chapters, things remain the same, characters fall into the same tragic and often Shakespearean patterns, and life goes on. The rating corresponds to all of the above and my belief that the book is an excellent sample of its genre. That said, I have not yet made up my mind whether I personally liked it or not. Perfect for fans of A24 movies and body-horror period stories. I'm afraid I have not read enough from this genre to be able to recommend similar books. If I think of anything as time passes, will add it! :)
I absolutely loved the subtle way through which O.M. exposed every character's perverse religious piety, ultimately manifesting into greedy, pointless or degrading and antiheroic way of life. The book never offers a happy ending or a redeeming element to miserable Lapnova, and much like the seasons' circular moves that also mark the passage of the book's chapters, things remain the same, characters fall into the same tragic and often Shakespearean patterns, and life goes on. The rating corresponds to all of the above and my belief that the book is an excellent sample of its genre. That said, I have not yet made up my mind whether I personally liked it or not. Perfect for fans of A24 movies and body-horror period stories. I'm afraid I have not read enough from this genre to be able to recommend similar books. If I think of anything as time passes, will add it! :)