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A review by miathy
Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
adventurous
dark
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
2.25
This book has amazing writing, and I often found myself having to put the book down and return to it later because of the gruesome horrors imprinted through the language.
Horror isn't a genre I typically read, but Moshfegh's beautiful style of writing is one that I definitely enjoyed.
However, I found myself losing interest in the second half of the book. It felt as though the development and journey of the characters fell short through their abrupt deaths.
In the end, I really was expecting more, and it felt a more forced read in the end for me.
This ultimately comes down to reading practices and the atmosphere one is looking for when they're going in for a read. I wasn't reading this to analyse or really to engage my brain at all, and saw it as more of an avenue for entertainment, and this felt like a missed opportunity.
This book is so character focused, and the result is an array of equally complex and compelling characters, each with their own backstory and ability to alter the course of the plot.
I think this is where I lost the direction of the story, because so much of it extends to the village of Lapovna as a whole. As the story progressed, more and more characters were introduced, developed and explained, but I wasn't able to find a connecting link outside the physical acquaintances and relationships between the characters.
I think I definitely have to revisit this book in another time, but it seems that horror is just not something I can handle.
Horror isn't a genre I typically read, but Moshfegh's beautiful style of writing is one that I definitely enjoyed.
In the end, I really was expecting more, and it felt a more forced read in the end for me.
This ultimately comes down to reading practices and the atmosphere one is looking for when they're going in for a read. I wasn't reading this to analyse or really to engage my brain at all, and saw it as more of an avenue for entertainment, and this felt like a missed opportunity.
This book is so character focused, and the result is an array of equally complex and compelling characters, each with their own backstory and ability to alter the course of the plot.
I think this is where I lost the direction of the story, because so much of it extends to the village of Lapovna as a whole. As the story progressed, more and more characters were introduced, developed and explained, but I wasn't able to find a connecting link outside the physical acquaintances and relationships between the characters.
I think I definitely have to revisit this book in another time, but it seems that horror is just not something I can handle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Murder, and Physical abuse