Lapvona

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh. A grotesque, unsettling fairytale about power imbalance, blind faith and human cruelty. Moshfegh throws you into a medieval world that is so twisted and warped that it almost feels like a nightmare and yet you can't put it down. The characters are each vile and fascinating in their own way. Marek, the abused and distorted boy is the center of it all. His father, a brutal man with no trace of softness. The blind midwife that somehow sees more than anyone else. and a lord so detached from reality, it's equally horrifying and hilarious. If you're looking for something easy, this is not for you. However, if you like reads that linger, fiction that is unnerving, unhinged, human in the ugliest ways, then Lapvona might be worth a try for you.

''Lapvona'' is a very well constructed and written novel, that deals with a lot of strange and disturbing occurences in a little village. The reader is told through different points of view what's happening in the story, which shows how the characters' experiences are interwoven in a very interesting and engaging way. A perfect novel for everyone who likes a little horror and weirdness!

I am sure the author has a lot of important things to say, especially about very real topics like the consequences of blind faith. But I had a hard time to figure out the actual plot. While I love having different POVs in a story, the sudden interchanging of them within a couple sentences confused me sometimes. It was interesting to not have a single main character whom we follow but multiple, but I didn't really like any of the characters we did learn about. Which might be the point of it all, I suppose. All in all, while this book wasn't exactly my taste, I have to admit I was fascinated by the dry/simple writing style and Moshfeg's talent for telling the reader about all those horrible gruesome things and still making them turn page after page to learn more.