Lapvona

From the renowned author behind the TikTok sensation "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," comes a captivating novel set to become one of the most highly anticipated reads of 2022, as noted by publications like Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, The Times, New Statesman, Good Housekeeping, and Daily Mail. This mesmerizing tale unfolds in a village within a medieval dominion battered by natural calamities, where a motherless shepherd boy unexpectedly becomes central to a fierce power struggle that challenges all forms of faith.

Little Marek, the tormented and illusion-ridden son of the village shepherd, grows up never knowing his mother, having been told by his father that she died during childbirth. Marek finds solace in his special connection with Ina, the blind village midwife who nurtured him as a child, just as she did with many other village infants. Ina holds extraordinary abilities that go beyond mere childcare; she can communicate uniquely with the natural realm. This exceptional gift allows her to access sacred knowledge, far exceeding what any of the religious villagers can comprehend. For some, however, Ina's forest home represents something to dread, a place devoid of divine presence.

Among those wary of Ina is Father Barnabas, the town's priest, who faithfully serves the corrupt lord and governor, Villiam. Villiam's manor, perched atop a hill, hides an embarrassing abundance of wealth. The villagers' intense desire to trust in benevolent powers is harshly challenged by the priest and Villiam, especially during a year marked by severe drought and famine. As chance leads Marek into a confrontation with the lord's family, mysterious forces emerge, unsettling the established order. By the year's conclusion, the boundary between sight and blindness, life and death, and the natural and spiritual worlds will become remarkably transparent.