marcelineNov 24, 2025

In print
Ebook
Audiobook
Library
We may earn a commission. Learn more.
Lapvona A Novel
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.
Claire MaguetOct 27, 2025
carla thyAug 19, 2025
Alison HinklomJul 21, 2025
StasJun 27, 2025
Arie PMay 8, 2025
constanceApr 7, 2025
james caoFeb 21, 2025
Elizabeth DennyJan 27, 2025
bonnieJan 14, 2025
KatyJan 3, 2025
Karmen Dec 7, 2024
Kira LNov 10, 2024
Jillian McParlandSep 22, 2024
toniAug 7, 2024
aAug 7, 2024
Maya Jul 11, 2024
Abbie DugganJul 1, 2024
armoni mayesJun 17, 2024
tori 👻Jun 15, 2024
paigevMay 15, 2024
MitchApr 25, 2024
𓆨Mar 14, 2024
ayaJan 31, 2024
Helen Aug 26, 2022
Helen Aug 27, 2022
Jordan CardOct 25, 2022
mallorie 🦌Feb 14, 2024
james caoFeb 20, 2025
Page 229
james caoFeb 21, 2025
Page 286
Arie PMay 8, 2025
Page 186