Review: Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh, 2022

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lapvona, by Ottessa Moshfegh, 2022

Lapvona is a dystopic dramedy (can I call it that?) novel set in the Middle Ages--sprinkled with a bit of magic and a lot of gross absurdities. Lapvona is a minor fiefdom somewhere in medieval Europe ruled by a spoiled and petulant schemer Lord Villiam. Marek is a boy "disfigured by birth" and adopted by Lord Villiam to replace his recently murdered son Jacob (murdered by Marek). Ina is an ancient and somewhat magical blind woman who, for many years, acted as the town's supernatural nanny, suckling generations of Lapvonians. 

What a delightfully dark novel, full of a devilish cast of characters and depraved predicaments. Once you've made peace with the absurdity, you will find the events and actions of the characters to be humorous. There are no redeemable or likable characters in this book, but they are all entertaining.

The author's voice/style has been described as laconic and flip, with an edge of cruelty, yet, it is entertaining. Lapvona may be grotesque and full of all kinds of human degradation, but it's amusing because it's played for laughs.

If you watch "The Great" on Hulu and enjoy it very much, then Lapvona is should fit right in your eyeholes.  Huzzah! You will love it.

I rate this book 5 Huzzahs out 5 Huzzahs!

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The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, 1984

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, 1984

Synopsis:
It is the world of the near future, and Offred is a Handmaid in the home of the Commander and his wife. She is allowed out once a day to the food market, she is not permitted to read, and she is hoping the Commander makes her pregnant, because she is only valued if her ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she was an independent woman, had a job of her own, a husband and child. But all of that is gone now…everything has changed.

Review:
I found The Handmaid’s Tale to be one of the compelling books I’ve read and definitely one of my top choices of this year so far.

In a world that has reverted back to a day where totalitarianism is commonplace and accepted, women known as “handmaids” are given (literally) to elite couples that are unable to have children, with the sole purpose of reproducing for them. If they do not fulfill this purpose, they are sent to the “colonies” to either work in agriculture or clear up toxic pollution, which eventually kills them. Patriarchy is at the root of all laws and so the freedom of all women, not just handmaids, is severely restricted. There is severe punishment (including death) for those who disobey.

Absolutely nothing in the novel was unbelievable, which is mainly why it is so terrifying. Atwood writes about some circumstances that may seem extreme and distant to us but are currently present in “other” countries and societies. Atwood has then applied these circumstances to a futuristic United States. This enables us to fully grasp the implications of control of freedom, especially sexual freedom, because whether we admit it or not, the events that bring out the most emotion in us are those that happen to us directly. 

Another reason is that the novel is also extremely intelligent. I couldn’t help but notice that every phrase, every word, every object, every character, every dialogue had its purpose. Nothing was there without good reason, from finding out that Offred’s name is not just oddly futuristic (“Of Fred” as in “Property of Fred”) to describing a football stadium and redbrick walls (as way of showing that the story is set near an abandoned Harvard University).

I recommend this book. It’s brilliant.

My Rating: ★★★★★