A review by jessicaxmaria
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

5.0

A slow moving but mesmerizing tale that both made me laugh and made me mad, and in the end surprised me. 

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One of my favorite ‘genres’ of song is one that starts soft and murmuring, and then crescendos into explosive sound mimicking catharsis, whether from sadness or joy or anger (think Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift”). There are plenty of books that build to an explosive climax, but THE EMPUSIUM has a special rhythm in its lead up–a tip tap, sometimes a little slither here and there from a chorus of voices (and I don’t mean the men that blather their opinions throughout). It held me in its grasp, with a foreboding feeling I couldn’t quite pinpoint the source of until later. I mean yes, bodies were being found ripped to shreds in the forest, but there was something else. I love when I’m reading a book and wondering what the hell is going on!?

Some may not have the patience for the slow and meandering pacing, but Tokarczuk (and the translator Lloyd-Jones) demonstrate their mastery of the craft with seeming ease. The reader embarks on a journey to a health resort in 1913 with a Polish student named Wojnicz, who boards at an all-male guesthouse in the small mountain town known for its tuberculosis treatments. His arrival is marked by the body of a dead woman. Then he starts hearing things, from around the house, from the men, from the doctor, from the woods, etc. The author’s note at the end of the book is the proverbial cherry on top of this novel whose Guesthouse for Gentlemen boards continuously ask the question: “Women???”

A great winter read, in my opinion. Cold air and deep breaths will keep your mind clear for what’s at hand…maybe!