Lapvona: The unmissable Sunday Times Bestseller

In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely center of a power struggle that puts all forms of faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh’s most daring work 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 Marek’s few comforts is his enduring bond with Ina, the blind village midwife, who nursed him as a baby—as she did many of the village’s children.

Ina’s gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a rare ability to communicate with the natural world. Her power allows her access to sacred knowledge far beyond that of other villagers, no matter how devout they may be. For some, Ina’s home in the forest beyond the village is a place to be feared and avoided—a godless place.