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A review by podanotherjessi
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Another exciting addition to the "this would make an incredible movie but I'm not sure if I liked it as a book" pile! And that's really the only thought I have that isn't far too complicated to sum up in a review.
Let me start with the horror. This is undeniably incredibly eerie and strange, but I think the tension kind of stays at one note for too long. I needed something to crank it up now and then or to break the tension. Things don't really ramp up until very close to the end, much in the way I expect from folk horror films, but unfortunately without the constant visual reminder of something being wrong, it didn't quite work as well. I think cutting the first 250 pages in half would have helped the pacing and the flow of this story a lot.
That said, literally everything else about this was incredible. I love the direct, unapologetic deconstruction around gender theory. The atmosphere really was wonderful. The characters are so ridiculous which honestly added some humor. And despite the slow pacing, I was very compelled through the book. So overall, I recommend!
Let me start with the horror. This is undeniably incredibly eerie and strange, but I think the tension kind of stays at one note for too long. I needed something to crank it up now and then or to break the tension. Things don't really ramp up until very close to the end, much in the way I expect from folk horror films, but unfortunately without the constant visual reminder of something being wrong, it didn't quite work as well. I think cutting the first 250 pages in half would have helped the pacing and the flow of this story a lot.
That said, literally everything else about this was incredible. I love the direct, unapologetic deconstruction around gender theory. The atmosphere really was wonderful. The characters are so ridiculous which honestly added some humor. And despite the slow pacing, I was very compelled through the book. So overall, I recommend!