Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

530 reviews

ambersoda's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, and Pregnancy

02kloun's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

i love this book i will never read it again

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Abortion, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

starvation due to drought is a core plot device throughout one of the sections of the book

reads2cope's review against another edition

1.0

Was this published as a prank to see if people would actually read it?
It was so disgusting and pointless that I would have thrown it aside early on if I wasn’t reading it for a bookclub. This is especially strange because it had such potential - an interesting setting, ruined by a total lack of commitment to the alleged time period (people know disease was spread by ships, travelers, and rats [yet take no predations, just continue to die]; a character is asked if he had a “girlfriend”; a kid proclaims that he wants to be an “explorer” when he grows up, and so much more) and themes of religion, family, truth, sexuality, class, abuse, pandemics, isolation, and so much more are introduced, and then simply thrown aside.

In an especially jarring section at the end of the second to last chapter, the reader is suddenly addressed directly: “Everything seems reasonable in hindsight. 

Right or wrong, you will think what you need to think so that you can get by. So find some reason here.” Unfortunately, there was no reason to be found there or in any other part of the book.

The only partial redemption and what even allowed me to finish reading was the flow and some actually funny lines:
‘What about heaven, Ina? Don’t you want to go?’ 

‘It doesn’t matter,’ she said. ‘I won’t know anyone.’
And even less often, a truly beautiful paragraph:
“his heart felt cold, like a sweat chilled by a sudden wind. It was a terrible feeling, the boy's first experience of nostalgia: the pain of his past.  Until now, time had had almost no meaning. The sun rose and set. The church bells donged, but he didn't bother to count them.”

“She had a wisdom that nobody could recognize; the deaths of her children hadn't torn the innocence from her heart, but had calloused her against her own rage.”

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

charismae_reads's review

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For the first book I have ever read of Otessa Moshfegh, I did enjoy it. Lapvona is a tale where nothing good happens and all the characters are truly rotten. A strange part of me admires series that are capable of writing an unlikeable and unforgivable cast with no redeeming qualities and Lapvona is exactly that. Every character in this book filled me with a sense of dread, bewilderment, anger, and discomfort. 

There is no resolution from the complete bleakness of this book from start to finish. It is so grotesque and morbid that after the last page, it is like the book's contents had seeped into my skin. 
 Nearing the end, it does lose its edge and just feels like a concoction of shock value paraphernalia which I grew quite bored of. As the story progressed, I felt like there wasn't much direction besides the concept of "horrible people doing horrible things to each other or in general" 

However, I did enjoy the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt

friedathurman's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

The writing was okay. Some of the graphic subject matter was just not at all my cup of tea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

curiouspoet's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book came from another planet. Its a pure essence of Moshfegh’s writing style and storytelling (i love her dont blame me)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Incest, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Death and Gore

Although it was disgusting, I kind of liked what Moshfegh wanted to showcase. Might as well reread it again (not because of topics but because of characther analysis)

chronicdazed's review

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Cannibalism, and Pregnancy

infinite_helix's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This is the second Ottessa Moshfegh book I've read, and I think it'll be the last. My dislike of Eileen is echoed in my dislike for this book. I spent the whole time waiting for a religious revolution and old magic (as advertised) and just got

a lot of shit (literally), rape, and incest, and then in the last maybe 1/3 or 1/4 of the book a "virgin" pregnancy

. It left me as dissatisfied as Eileen. It's just gross for the sake of grossness, I think, with no real purpose for the plot. Not for me.
There was a bit of interesting exploration of classism and religious bigotry/false piety/etc, but it was severely bogged down by how bleak and gross everything around it was, and it didn't feel like it paid off.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore and Cannibalism

Moderate: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Excrement

jessiekind_'s review

dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Cannibalism

ceciltheceaselesswatcher's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

nasty and disgusting but very well written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail