Lapvona
Ratings91
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings91
Average rating3.6
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2022 BY Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, The Times, New Statesman, Good Housekeeping & Daily Mail. In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely pivot in a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh's most exciting leap yet Little Marek, the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd, never knew his mother; his father told him she died in childbirth. One of life's few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife, Ina, who suckled him when he was a baby, as she did for many of the village's children. Ina's gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world. Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers, however religious they might be. For some people, Ina's home in the woods outside the village is a place to fear and to avoid, a godless place. Among their number is Father Barnabas, the town priest and lackey for the depraved lord and governor, Villiam, whose hilltop manor contains a secret embarrassment of riches. The people's desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by Villiam and the priest, especially in this year of record drought and famine. But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lord's family, new and occult forces upset the old order. By year's end, the veil between blindness and sight, life and death, the natural world and the spirit world will prove to be very thin indeed.
Reviews with the most likes.
pretty much just vile people doing vile things for the sake of being vile, but thats Ottessa Moshfegh for you.
on a real note though, the vibes in the first half CARRIED. I'm not sure why but I kinda got disinterested in the second half, so that's why I bumped it down to 3.5 stars. still love ya though Ottessa you brilliantly sick woman.
The best kind of disturbing. The VVitch and Midsomer vibes with some mommy kink, but better because it's a book.
Still, she couldn't stand his inquisitiveness. Everything he asked her was a plea for affection. He didn't care for her, not really. He only wanted to seduce her by seeming to care, so that she would care for him. Children are selfish, she thought. They rob you of life. They thrive as you toil and wither, and then they bury you, their tears never once falling out of regret for what they've stolen.
Marek, the misshapen and pitiful son of of an abusive and self-flagellating shephard, learns that ascension is achieved not through religious servitude, but (as we knew all along) nepotism. But can anything fill the void left absent of a father's approval?
For the most part, a captivating, repulsive, absurdly humorous work of fabulist fiction. The first half pounds along, driven by shocking events and revelations (achieved by subtle, well-timed shifts between characters' perspectives), but the pace of the second half slows considerably—hijacked by the will and whim of Villiam, who holds the reader hostage at tedious dinner table conversations.
The conclusion brings a rush of change and resolution, but it feels disconnected, hurried, and lacks impact. I expected a neat and considered pay-off owing to the fable-like tone, but was left wanting.
Still loved it, though.
This is an interesting one. While in some ways the questions posed and content is striking and makes you think, there's a lot of taking the long road to get to the point, and tons of grossness that doesn't serve much of a point other than...well, grossness. That last part didnt bug me too much but the roundabout ramblings did a bit. But I also did enjoy this read, I found it strange but also interesting enough to be digested and thought about for days after.
