lapvona by ottessa moshfegh
Lapnova is a tale set in a medieval town led by the vain and gluttonous lord, Villiam. Alongside him, the village priest, Father Barnabas, plays a vital role in controlling the people through their faith and twisting them into submission. We follow Marek, a masochistic and motherless boy whose own upbringing led him to believe that his suffering on Earth will earn him a ticket to heaven. When an accident involving him and the lord’s son takes place, Marek finds himself tangled in a different world as the village of Lapvona is challenged by natural disasters, desperation, and their own beliefs.
Vividly grotesque, this book is definitely not short in gore and vomit-inducing pages. Moshfegh explores humanity’s vulnerability, absurdity, and faith across multiple lenses of the characters in Lapnova. Religion is a prominent theme throughout the book, illustrating how it can be utilized as a tool for the manipulation of people with performative and superficial faith and bent to justify vile actions.
“How is it that you are so rich, and the rest of us so poor?’ Grigor asked.
‘It’s because of breeding, plain and simple,’ Villiam answered.”
It touches on misogyny, corruption, and the class division between the rich and the poor. Lapvona is a town heavily dominated by men who think that women are theirs to claim and are obligated to bare them children. Little feminism is displayed through some of the female characters, primarily Ina, the village ‘witch’ and outcast who survived on her own and reclaimed power. In a calamity that occurred, the people inside the lord’s mansion bathed with luxury and unlimited resources while the poor were dying and resorted to desperate means to survive. This mirrors the current and aggravating social stratification happening in real life.
This book marks my personal challenge of reading more literary fiction and contemporary novels. Despite it being a struggle for me to slightly lean away from the comfort of fantasy and adventure, Lapvona definitely did not disappoint.
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Genres: Literary Fiction, Horror, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Trigger Warnings: rape, cannibalism, child abuse, gore, violence, incest
This piece was originally posted on WordPress on July 18, 2022 and migrated to BearBlog on March 19, 2026.