[2] In Lapvona, a corrupt medieval fiefdom, deformed 13 year-old Marek lives with his cruel shepherd father Jude and was nursed from birth by the village witch.

Now suddenly thrust into noble life, Marek is caught in a deathly power struggle of corruption and debauchery.

[4] In a review for the New York Times, Dwight Garner criticized the novel for lacking Moshfegh's typical wit, and that it is "narrow in its emotional range, a bleak, meandering and muddy-soled mix of fairy tale and folk horror.

"[5] Kirkus Reviews compared the novel to Moshfegh's earlier works and found the tone "stiff" and the plot "meandering".

[2] The reviewer at Publishers Weekly, however, found the book "deliriously quirky" and declared it "a triumph".