Lapvona

"There’s been a lot of buzz around Lapvona, the new novel from Ottessa Moshfegh. Set in a medieval fiefdom racked by plague, drought and famine, Lapvona features a wide cast of villagers struggling to survive in the face of corruption, cruelty and the occult. Although different in subject matter to her greatest hits—the why-dunnit noir Eileen and the comfortably numb tale of self-isolation My Year of Rest and Relaxation — Lapvona shares their macabre interest in the grotesque and the darker sides of human nature. (Out June 23.) If that sounds good to you, you may also be interested in Julia May Jonas’s debut Vladimir , the story of an English professor whose husband is facing a slew of accusations of sexual harassment, who herself goes on to develop an obsession with a much younger colleague. It’s provocative and darkly entertaining. Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman, a novel of sexual exploration and exhibitionism, has also been hotly anticipated. It has garnered endorsements from the likes of Sheila Heti (who called it “radical, daring and bracing”) and Raven Leilani (“thoughtful, savage”)."