Set in a seclusive autumnal valley where the chronically and often incurably ill wander the hills, Olga Tokarczuk’s newest masterpiece, The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story, is positioned to be the book of the fall. From mystery drinks and deaths to commentary upon religion and gender, this book is the literary horror story that eagerly awaits your autumn reading list.
Reading this fantastic translation by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, I was thrilled to discover that The Empusium traces back to my love of Tokarckzuk’s work in its genre, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. Set in the fall of 1913, we find ourselves at a “health resort” in the secluded Silesian Mountain range in Poland. Here, a multitude of sickly men, young and old, wander its grounds. Plagued with tuberculosis, they take on treatments that mainly entail walking, talking, and drinking the mysterious liquid known as Schwärmerei, a drink known for its instant calming and disorienting effects that are widely accepted as a norm at the resort.
Our protagonist, Mieczysław Wojnicz (Mi-etchy-swuff Voy-nitch), arrives on the scene in September, lungs full of Koch’s bacilli and heart full of hope. He quickly meets the other eccentric and opinionated men at the resort, including guests Herr August, Frommer, Longin Lukas, Opitz, who owns the guesthouse, and Thilo, who becomes his closest companion. Tragedy strikes quickly when Wojnicz finds a woman dead on the dinner table, seemingly hung to death. While this rattles Wojnicz, the others seem to brush it off as ordinary, as if the death of a woman was not worth their time.
As stranger happenings begin, Wojnicz becomes Thilo’s confidant, hearing whispered stories of men chopped up in the woods every fall, spirits in the woods, and grand conspiracy. At first, Wojnicz tries to ignore him, as the other men do, but he quickly finds that perhaps these wild accusations aren’t so wild after all. Perhaps what is actually wild is what comes to the resort each November.
If I were to describe this book to the average reader, I would say it’s a literary spin on T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead. There are mysterious mushrooms, strange-acting rabbits, chairs with bonds tied tightly to them, eerie puppets in the woods, and so much more. The novel’s greatest strength was its balance between the classic horror tropes of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead and the literary magnificence of Flights that Tokarczuk is known for. I was enthralled with Wojnicz’s mysterious discoveries just as much as with his grappling with identity, what it means to be healthy, and finding camaraderie in the strangest of places. The dichotomy of the deep, scholarly (though heavily sexist) discussions on the haunting happenings and discoveries makes this book readable to both the average horror lover and the champion of works in translation.
Wojnicz himself is a perfect character to carry this story through its narrative. He is quiet and pensive but not malleable to the other’s opinions. He thinks for himself in the moments when others may not have and tackles each obstacle with thoughtfulness and without haste. To put it bluntly, he acts like a normal and realistic person would act in a horror story. Wojnicz is pure of heart—kind and understanding in a world that is not so accommodating. It was refreshing to feel like I agreed with what investigative steps the character took or avoided in this mystery. Meanwhile, other guests at the resort juxtapose Wojnicz’s approach to life challenges. Thilo is in a state of constant paranoia, while Longin Lukas is overly confident. They are all traits that can be seen in horror story characters who end up dead.
A final praise in Tokarczuk’s perfect prose is the character of the landscape. The mountains and scenery that abound surrounding the resort are just as important as the men residing there. The trees seem to shift and whisper, and the moss and mushrooms seem magical. The seclusion emphasizes the sense of aloneness that Wojnicz feels despite being surrounded by those in similar situations. The setting’s isolation and strangeness here are unmatched, and it felt almost mythical to be reading alongside Wjonicz’s discoveries.
I would be remiss not to mention Lloyd-Jones’ spectacular translation skills as well. To translate such work and encapsulate the feeling that The Empusium provides is no small feat. With fall chills fast approaching, there is no better book to read. A magnificently haunting portrayal of health, death, and all that comes in between, The Empusium is one of Tokarczuk’s best works to date.
FICTION
The Empusium
By Olga Tokarczuk
Riverhead Books
Published September 24, 2024
Our British publisher, and reviewers, describe it as a retelling of Thomas Mann’s Der Zauberberg ( The Magic Mountain). Why no reference to this source?!!