LAPVONA

This medieval-ish, fantasy-ish audiobook covers a year in the village of the title, starting with a bandit raid in which numerous villagers are slaughtered. The story shifts around among a group of characters who are damaged in various ways, all of them working with insufficient, or simply incorrect, information. Although there are many changes in the village--including a famine, a new overlord, and possibly a new way of thinking about religion--the story does not seem to move in any particular direction. The author's narration is smooth and evocative, but she does nothing to personify the characters' voices, leaving the overall effect on the flat side. It's difficult to tell what Moshfegh's intentions are, as author or as performer. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2022]