I wish I’d written this book. I loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation but I think I loved this more. Disturbing? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Undeniably brilliant? Also yes. One of my 2022 favourites. Will undoubtedly haunt me forever.

This is not the type of book that I would usually gravitate towards however I will read anything Ottessa Moshfegh writes so here we are. In the medieval fiefdom of Lapvona, Jude is the village shepherd and Marek is his abused son. The village is plagued by all manner of disasters and quite simply sounds like a miserable place to live. Events transpire to put Malek in the direct orbit of the cruel and lazy lord Villiam and as the year plays out, Marek's world is continually altered.

At a certain point in this book every turn of the page reveals something more wild than the last. Pretty much everyone is awful! This is definitely not a book to be enjoyed with a snack.

I loved it in all it's gross, vile, squeamish glory!

Content warnings: cannibalism, rape, child abuse, child murder, animal cruelty, animal death

Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage for the opportunity to review this book!

Such a great read - so much in it and a book worthy of a re-read.

For me, I found this to be almost allegorical - using the medieval world to comment on the modern world - and what a commentary. Lapvona is a medieval town/village ruled over by Villiam. In Lapvona, we have Jude, who raises lambs for sale, and his son, Marek and Ina who is a wise woman who lives outside of the village. All seem to be characters that are stereotypical of any previous novels/TV shows that we have seen portraying this era which is not a criticism. Life is hard, violent and we get a real sense of place. On the other hand, Villiam lives in a state of excess, a man who thinks only of his own pleasure, even allowing villagers to starve during a drought while he continues to gorge himself. In my opinion there is a commentary here upon the rich/poor divide in modern times - and as you read about Villiam's actions, how the rich wield power to manipulate and use violence to discipline.

The author also makes comment upon the role of religion. the villagers believe that pain and suffering is the way to Heaven. The villages live such a hard and violent life, you do wonder about the role of religion, particularly as the town priest is allied very strongly with Villiam. The villagers, at the behest of the priest, seem to delight in their sufferings as they believe it will bring them closer to God. Ina, on the other hand, almost follows her own religion.

This is also a novel full of the grotesque - we have rape, abuse, cannibalism. There are also some very unsettling episodes involving breast-feeding.

This is a novel that has given me so much to think about and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it popping up on future prize lists.

‘Marek had been born in February. Of course, he and his father never marked the occasion as the day of his birth, but the day of Agata’s death. Her absence hung over both of them like a hovering bird.’

In the fictional medieval fiefdom of Lapvona, Jude devotes his time to raising sheep. His cousin, Villiam, is Lord of Lapvona living up in the manor whilst the workers below struggle to survive. Jude has raised a boy that isn’t his, abandoned by his mother and disfigured, Marek has a warped sense of how to please God. Through a chain of events, Marek is sent to live at the manor with Villiam and sees what it is to live on both sides of Lapvona. As natural disasters ravage Lapvona and the people below question their faith we cycle through the seasons and see who will survive.

This was utterly sensational and I’m struggling to gather my thoughts. It was grotesque, absurd and completely bizarre. Yet at the same time the world was so vivid that it felt completely believable that this was a real medieval fiefdom and not just the fictional one, Lapvona.
I was enthralled by the themes of this book - the natural world, religion, class divides, mortality and fertility. The more the book went on I felt my mind spinning as though I was descending into madness alongside some of the characters. This book was horrifying in parts and felt like a showcase of the depths of depravity but I was still hooked. I wasn’t ready to leave Lapvona, I could have read so much more from this land.
This book is rife with grotesque sexual scenes and incestuous relationships so it definitely won’t be for everyone. However, as a piece of historical medieval fiction it is addictive and vivid. One I’ll be thinking about for a while!

✨Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!✨

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.
In Lapvona, Moshfegh explores the depths of human depravity by examining every facet of the human condition, she creates a narrative that explores how we treat each other, particularly the misery we put each other through for entertainment's sake. We witness each character debase themselves morally and physically as they inflict or endure harrowing man-made conditions in the fictional medieval town.
Lapvona can be understood as Moshfegh's creative response to the pandemic and the lockdown measures which was rampant at the time of creation, she creates a tale of survival in isolation from the multiple perspectives she employs throughout the text. Each narrative shift playfully disrupts the temporal and spatial settings of the text, leaving the characters ignorant of the timespan in which their suffering will end. It is Moshfegh's characterisations of these flawed and nuanced townspeople that is, in my view, the strength of this novel. The character study she offers is immersive, allowing the omniscient, third-person narrator to relay the honest thoughts and actions of each individual. She does so against the themes of religious fanaticism, witchcraft, corruption, murder, classism, and ableism to name a few.
On completion of the novel, I knew the enduring thoughts and feelings I held of the book were entirely intentional. What was the point? What did we learn? Yet, I have not thought of the book since I read it, perhaps I am not ready to read pandemic fiction just yet or perhaps the narrative served it's purpose too well.

As a fan of Moshfegh's previous works I knew to expect the unexpected. Lapvona is a masterclass in this. It is a gruesome and gory tale following the interconnected lives of the villagers as they fight against nature and mankind's greed. There are some uncomfortable scenes that had me squirming and almost ready to put the book down but it's a testament to Moshfegh's skilful writing that I was far too engrossed to consider stopping.

I have no idea what to say about this book!

Nothing like anything I’ve read of Moshfegh’s, probably not like anything I’ve ever read before full stop.

Weird and gross and yet compelling. I couldn’t stop reading even when I wanted to.

Fascinated to know what the world will think of this one.

3.5 stars

Otessa Moshfegh is the most interesting, unusual and original writer of her generation, and Lapvona is a thrilling distillation of her astonishing talents. The sentences are breathtaking, but so is the ambition, the sensitivity and the sheer nerve of it all. It will be one of the books of the year, no question.

This novel was enough of a stomach churner that to describe the characters and setting as ‘well fleshed-out’ makes me considerably queasy.

I really, really enjoyed this. I was already aware of some extent to which I enjoyed Moshfegh’s work, having read and loved both My Year of Rest and Relaxation and McGlue - and this novel proves yet again that Moshfegh’s ability to write fluent and ensnaring tales and characters spanned across decades of setting is nothing short of masterful. Lapvona contains horrible things. I refrain from identifying whether I am referring to the novel or the village, because it really applies to both. The novel verges on the boundaries of how much human nature can be perverted, but never crosses it - there is some element of skilful manoeuvring between the taboo within these pages, and it absolutely kept me turning them. I have always been hesitant of books in which religion is a predominant theme, however I feel within this novel it is a both necessary and genuine aspect to properly convey the intended mystifying atmosphere of the village of Lapvona and the ways it operates.
I am hesitant to say too much with regards to the plot and the journeys which we see each character partake in - for the reason that I think it would perhaps take away from the reading experience if you were to know what awaited you at the changing of each season, or around every corner. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a mesmerising medieval tale that will linger about your mind for a long while after closing the cover.

A story set in the Middle Ages in a small fiefdom in an unknown country. It has all the sights, smells, violence and unfairness of its time. The young boy Marek is physically disabled and is mistreated by his very nasty father, a shepherd, who treats his sheep and lambs with much more care and devotion than he gives to his son. Although the book is beautifully written, the graphic descriptions of extreme violence and inhuman acts seem to be almost gratuitous at times, and left this reviewer with doubts about how necessary it is to subject a reader to such extreme descriptions. The story doesn’t always have a sense of direction or momentum, but all the characters are superbly well described, and of course the settings and actions are frighteningly real. Not a book to be enjoyed, but this may grip the attention of some readers - it just wasn’t for me, sadly.

Lapvona is told in third person from the perspectives of Marek and his father Jude. Marek is thirteen and lives with his abusive father Jude. Marek's has never known his mother as he believes she died in childbirth. Marek has a strong bond with the village midwife or wet nurse Ina. The village Lapvona is very religious and Ina can communicate with the natural world. Villiaim is the depraved lord of the village and Father Barnabas is the town priest. Villiam and the priest send cruel tests to the village and Marek becomes close to Villiam. The prose of this novel is very good and classic Moshfegh. I did not enjoy this novel and I am pained to say this. This is classic Moshfegh, it is very graphic, obscure and strange. I loved her previous novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation but Lapvona just did not work for me. This is probably more of a two star read for me but I am going to round it up to three. I know people will love this novel but I am left disappointed.

This was a very well constructed novel, with the uncomfortable characters we're used to in Ottessa's novels. Another masterpiece from hers!

Set in a somewhat isolated medieval fiefdom over a course of one year, Moshfegh’s latest novel is an allegory/ fable that explores faith and belief, power structures and exploitation. The novel’s setting and its large cast of characters are an intriguing change from previous work I’ve read by Moshfegh but her tone and her trademark subversiveness are very much present.

So, Moshfegh follows people of Lapvona, the poor, devout villagers toiling in the fields and among them Jude, the shepherd and his son Marek, born with a deformity, Ina the town’s healer and wet nurse. On the other side, Villiam, lord of the manor, his family, servants and Father Barnabas, his priest and informant into the villagers’ mood. The novel begins in spring after bandits have attacked the village, in summer drought to end all droughts sees the villagers resort to desperate measures to survive, an autumnal storm slowly brings recovery while Christmas is a time for absurd celebrations at the lord’s manor. As you’d expect from a dark, medieval setting and, perhaps even more so from Moshfegh, the grotesque abounds. There are fantastical visions and blurring between dreams and reality. Faith is one of the main themes of the novel and here, people’s beliefs are often distorted, obsessed with suffering, pain, austerity and self-punishment in this world in order to be saved in the next. Marek, in particular, has a very warped sense of morality and is a fascinating character. Ina too, her character feels a survivor from an even older time.

Lapvona is a fascinating, compelling read with plenty to think about although I have to admit to being a bit greedy and wanting more overall. Three and a half stars.

My thanks to Random House UK, Vintage, Jonathan Cape and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Lapvona.

This is a stomach-churning, uncomfortable, disturbing but also at times a funny read. In this book, it seems that Moshfegh has created an allegory between the medieval and modern world.

Many important themes are explored within this novel, however one that stuck out to me is the relationship between faith and suffering. In this novel there is consistent reinforcement of the concept of the more you suffer, the more God loves you. Moshfegh not only examines this concept but also looks at how far these characters are willing to go to gain God’s love. She never criticises religion itself, she instead points to the horrors of humankind and how humans use religion as a weapon. This exploitation of the concept of suffering is not only done by the highest people in the Church but within any power dynamics, including father to son.

Another element I enjoyed was the portrayal of how easily humans lose their morality when they have access to power and title. Unfortunately, I cannot go into this more without spoiling it.

Overall, amazing world-building, well-paced, addictive yet uncomfortable read. Even though Moshfegh is not one of my favourite authors I cannot help but pick up everything she writes, as her themes and storytelling are one of a kind.

it’s suffocatingly lonely. nature, religion, and wealth are the leading forces in Lapvona. but where are the lines drawn between them if all are corrupted and blurred.

the novel starts with the easter slaughter. this opening accepts you into the ways religion and violence go hand in hand throughout the story. we explore the way suffering is a religious experience and how pain can be its own religion.

everyone is inter connected. we see the history of the characters through the use of dramatic irony. the characters are not just people but figures playing in ideas moshfegh is trying to show. the ways the individuals interact connect the ideas. i can’t get into detail without spoiling parts so i will leave it at that.

Lapvona has a strong atmosphere and made me feel trapped. each season gave you a different sensation which works wonderfully since it is split up into the seasons. even in the blazing heat in summer though it still made me feel cold and alone. i would compare this sensation to stories like ‘Paradise Rot’ and ‘Fever Dream’. the three all elude the feelings of comfort and stand strong within a place of nauseating loneliness.

the ending completes the story in a fully rounded way. i couldn’t of asked for a better ending. i felt reborn in the conclusion; reborn in the way a baby comes out screaming from the mother.

lapvona has become my favourite from moshfegh. it is intelligent. it is dizzying. it is painful. and that’s why i love it so.

This was an interesting read that I enjoyed. It was well written with a good storyline that was engaging and compelling and well developed characters. This book just kept suprising me from rich ruling over peasants, famine, murderous acts and eating people this was a rollercoaster of a read.
I couldn't put it down, I really liked it and I will look out for more from the author.

Lapvona creates a gratuitously harsh world where life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short even if you are Lord of the Manor above the impoverished town. Mark is the disfigured central character who has a series of mishaps and fails upward. June is his unpleasant rapist father. The most sympathetic person is Ina, a sort of wise woman to the village. Be aware that there are some deeply gratuitous unpleasant scenes, including cannibalism. This book reminds me how superb Lauren Groff's Matrix was. That book had pain and suffering leavened with knowledge and revelation. Lapvona is more of a bad time had by all.

A profusion of awful events littered with bodily fluids and disgusting detritus. Moshfegh shifts her signature style from modern outsiders and disillusioned millennials to graphic violence and dirt in the medieval period. If I'm honest, it's still too much for me, so those references to characters' odorous crevices and fetid gentials. Still, at least it's true to the historical setting which removed some of the irritation I've felt with the in-your face shock value of similar features in the author's other work. I also felt myself less irritated by the characters. Vile though they are, there is less of that self obsession that so central in Eileen et al. So, while I prefer Lauren Griff's Matrix to Lapvona, I still found this Moshfegh's most enjoyable novel to date

this was so weird but so amazing. this was my first moshfegh book despite owning a few others and it was amazing. i loved the deeper meanings displayed throughout; religion, greed, comfort. all so so bizarre but so addictive

Well who saw that coming? From famine, to cannibals to murder this book has it all. Moshfegh proves she can turn her hand to any genre with this illumination medieval novel which highlights the inequality and folly of the rich who rule over their poor peasants. Both a family tale and one which gestures to wider society - it's hard to say I enjoyed reading this book but it's not one I'll soon forget.