The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story
Ratings8
Average rating3.8
Well, THAT was quite the ride, for sure. The novel’s not exactly what most people would think of as horror right off the bat. It IS a horror novel, don’t get me wrong, it just takes a while for that horror to present itself in a clear way. For most of the novel the horror exists as a kind of constantly present unease, usually shown in little details that the reader might gloss over unless one is paying attention. But if the reader is paying attention, all the little details coalesce into something that lingers just out of reach until the end of the novel, when it all comes together in a way that isn’t scary, per se, but chilling. Which is something I enjoyed, personally, as that feeling tends to linger after the story has ended.
None of the above would really work, though, if it weren’t for the quality of the writing. I know I’m reading in this in translation, since the original work is in Polish, so it is VERY much to Lloyd-Jones’s credit as translator that the prose reads as beautifully and compellingly as it does. It really shows why Tokarczuk was awarded the Nobel Prize: the way the writing flows in some places, and lingers in others, work to capture luminous moments of beauty - but also, to create moments that disturb the reader too, creating that sense of foreboding that really drives home that this is a horror novel. The beauty of the prose also helps to hold the narrative together, especially when it becomes seemingly fragmented and a bit hard to parse.
The beauty of the prose comes through not only in the descriptions, but especially in the characterization of Mieczysław Wojnicz. He reads as passive for the protagonist, maybe TOO passive for some readers, but his passivity feels interesting, almost relatable in some places. The relatability comes through most strongly as the reader comes to understand his past, which is told via flashbacks scattered throughout the narrative, showing the kind of upbringing he had and how that contributes to his reluctance to get into conflicts of any sort.
However, this desire to avoid conflict doesn’t mean that Wojnicz is spineless; quite the opposite in fact, as he has some deeply-held convictions that he might not put out as strongly as the other, more forceful characters do, but he holds onto them nonetheless and finds ways to live by them as much as he can, given his circumstances. His way of pushing back against the world in more subtle, less forceful ways was something I found enjoyable to read about.
As for the other characters, most of them were used as vehicles for depicting the absolutely HORRENDOUS sociopolitical views that permeated the cultural milieu of 19th to early 20th century European thought - traces of which, sadly, are on the rise in the current period, especially misogyny. There were MANY moments when I wanted to strangle several characters for their beliefs, which they go over repeatedly throughout the novel using some very high-flown language that, in the time period in which this novel is set, would have made those views sound reasonable and logical, even though they (hopefully) ring utterly false to the reader.
Which leads me to the novel’s themes. There are plenty that the reader might be able to tease out of this novel, but the big one definitely has to do with the nature of misogyny, and how deeply it distorts the worldview of those who subscribe to it. While this idea might not be anything new, the way it is iterated and framed in this novel is very interesting, especially when tying it into the historical period in which the novel is set, as well as when it addresses just how DEEPLY misogyny runs in Western culture. This is most clearly shown in the other characters around Wojnicz: not only in the things they talk about, but in the lies and hypocrisies that they try to hide, but which are eventually revealed. Because if misogyny is anything, it is a philosophy built on hypocrisy and lies, and not on anything resembling truth.
Sadly, it is also a worldview that runs deep in not just European, but in all of Western culture. In the Author’s Notes the author lists down the sources of all the misogynistic ideas put forth by the characters in the novel, and the list reads like a collection of the Western world’s most influential thinkers and writers. Unless this reality is acknowledged and addressed, it will continue to remain a feature in Western culture, much to its detriment.
Does this mean, then, that the novel offers feminism as a solution to the aforementioned problem of misogyny’s hold on Western culture? Not necessarily: the novel doesn’t present feminism as an antidote, which I think is a good thing given how it is too easy to slip into a dangerous radical feminism that is no different from misogyny in the first place. Instead, the novel advocates an embrace of the feminine, as opposed to rejecting it. This is illustrated primarily in Wojnicz’s story arc; I won’t go into it here due to spoilers, but suffice to say that Wojnicz embracing the feminine alters the trajectory of his life for the better - and the rejection of the feminine leads some other characters to suffer some rather dark fates.
Another idea the novel puts forth is the value of nuance. In a conversation between Wojnicz and another character, the author basically uses said character as a mouthpiece for the idea that trying to comprehend the world through a more nuanced lens, and then accepting that complexity, is the key to all the good things that a person might want out of life and the world at large. While it does feel a lot less subtle than everything else the author was trying to accomplish with this novel, it DOES show just how important this idea is that the author basically had to spell it out for the reader. While I, personally, don’t think this was necessary, since trying to approach anything with a nuanced view SHOULD be the default, I can’t really say the author’s wrong about spelling this out. With the rise of a certain type of reader (and by this I mean: anyone who engages with a story, no matter the medium in which that story is presented) who cannot seem to draw the line between fiction and the real world, basically dictating to them that nuance is important might actually be the way to get it into their skulls, especially given the kind of content this novel has.
Overall, this was a pretty amazing read. It is very much a horror novel, but one that goes by slowly, focusing more on atmosphere to create a sense of building dread for the reader and building up on it until the novel’s climax. This is accomplished through the novel’s exquisite prose, which not only breathes life into the characters and the setting, but also sets the stage for a pointed indictment of misogyny, and how that most miserable of philosophies destroys everything it touches, from individuals to entire nations. Some readers might be put off by the pace and by the truly odious rantings of some of the characters, but those who push through will be rewarded with some interesting food for thought about how they view the world and how to approach it.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.
Well, THAT was quite the ride, for sure. The novel’s not exactly what most people would think of as horror right off the bat. It IS a horror novel, don’t get me wrong, it just takes a while for that horror to present itself in a clear way. For most of the novel the horror exists as a kind of constantly present unease, usually shown in little details that the reader might gloss over unless one is paying attention. But if the reader is paying attention, all the little details coalesce into something that lingers just out of reach until the end of the novel, when it all comes together in a way that isn’t scary, per se, but chilling. Which is something I enjoyed, personally, as that feeling tends to linger after the story has ended.
None of the above would really work, though, if it weren’t for the quality of the writing. I know I’m reading in this in translation, since the original work is in Polish, so it is VERY much to Lloyd-Jones’s credit as translator that the prose reads as beautifully and compellingly as it does. It really shows why Tokarczuk was awarded the Nobel Prize: the way the writing flows in some places, and lingers in others, work to capture luminous moments of beauty - but also, to create moments that disturb the reader too, creating that sense of foreboding that really drives home that this is a horror novel. The beauty of the prose also helps to hold the narrative together, especially when it becomes seemingly fragmented and a bit hard to parse.
The beauty of the prose comes through not only in the descriptions, but especially in the characterization of Mieczysław Wojnicz. He reads as passive for the protagonist, maybe TOO passive for some readers, but his passivity feels interesting, almost relatable in some places. The relatability comes through most strongly as the reader comes to understand his past, which is told via flashbacks scattered throughout the narrative, showing the kind of upbringing he had and how that contributes to his reluctance to get into conflicts of any sort.
However, this desire to avoid conflict doesn’t mean that Wojnicz is spineless; quite the opposite in fact, as he has some deeply-held convictions that he might not put out as strongly as the other, more forceful characters do, but he holds onto them nonetheless and finds ways to live by them as much as he can, given his circumstances. His way of pushing back against the world in more subtle, less forceful ways was something I found enjoyable to read about.
As for the other characters, most of them were used as vehicles for depicting the absolutely HORRENDOUS sociopolitical views that permeated the cultural milieu of 19th to early 20th century European thought - traces of which, sadly, are on the rise in the current period, especially misogyny. There were MANY moments when I wanted to strangle several characters for their beliefs, which they go over repeatedly throughout the novel using some very high-flown language that, in the time period in which this novel is set, would have made those views sound reasonable and logical, even though they (hopefully) ring utterly false to the reader.
Which leads me to the novel’s themes. There are plenty that the reader might be able to tease out of this novel, but the big one definitely has to do with the nature of misogyny, and how deeply it distorts the worldview of those who subscribe to it. While this idea might not be anything new, the way it is iterated and framed in this novel is very interesting, especially when tying it into the historical period in which the novel is set, as well as when it addresses just how DEEPLY misogyny runs in Western culture. This is most clearly shown in the other characters around Wojnicz: not only in the things they talk about, but in the lies and hypocrisies that they try to hide, but which are eventually revealed. Because if misogyny is anything, it is a philosophy built on hypocrisy and lies, and not on anything resembling truth.
Sadly, it is also a worldview that runs deep in not just European, but in all of Western culture. In the Author’s Notes the author lists down the sources of all the misogynistic ideas put forth by the characters in the novel, and the list reads like a collection of the Western world’s most influential thinkers and writers. Unless this reality is acknowledged and addressed, it will continue to remain a feature in Western culture, much to its detriment.
Does this mean, then, that the novel offers feminism as a solution to the aforementioned problem of misogyny’s hold on Western culture? Not necessarily: the novel doesn’t present feminism as an antidote, which I think is a good thing given how it is too easy to slip into a dangerous radical feminism that is no different from misogyny in the first place. Instead, the novel advocates an embrace of the feminine, as opposed to rejecting it. This is illustrated primarily in Wojnicz’s story arc; I won’t go into it here due to spoilers, but suffice to say that Wojnicz embracing the feminine alters the trajectory of his life for the better - and the rejection of the feminine leads some other characters to suffer some rather dark fates.
Another idea the novel puts forth is the value of nuance. In a conversation between Wojnicz and another character, the author basically uses said character as a mouthpiece for the idea that trying to comprehend the world through a more nuanced lens, and then accepting that complexity, is the key to all the good things that a person might want out of life and the world at large. While it does feel a lot less subtle than everything else the author was trying to accomplish with this novel, it DOES show just how important this idea is that the author basically had to spell it out for the reader. While I, personally, don’t think this was necessary, since trying to approach anything with a nuanced view SHOULD be the default, I can’t really say the author’s wrong about spelling this out. With the rise of a certain type of reader (and by this I mean: anyone who engages with a story, no matter the medium in which that story is presented) who cannot seem to draw the line between fiction and the real world, basically dictating to them that nuance is important might actually be the way to get it into their skulls, especially given the kind of content this novel has.
Overall, this was a pretty amazing read. It is very much a horror novel, but one that goes by slowly, focusing more on atmosphere to create a sense of building dread for the reader and building up on it until the novel’s climax. This is accomplished through the novel’s exquisite prose, which not only breathes life into the characters and the setting, but also sets the stage for a pointed indictment of misogyny, and how that most miserable of philosophies destroys everything it touches, from individuals to entire nations. Some readers might be put off by the pace and by the truly odious rantings of some of the characters, but those who push through will be rewarded with some interesting food for thought about how they view the world and how to approach it.
Originally posted at kamreadsandrecs.tumblr.com.
