A review by abookishtype
The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In the years before a cure was available for tuberculosis, those who could afford it would retreat to sanatoriums in the mountains or somewhere where the air was supposed to be better. Patients could receive all kinds of treatments, ranging from enforced rest to hydrotherapy to whatever the doctors in charge could think up. None of this actually cured the patient; only antibiotics could do that. The Behmer Sanatorium, in the mountains of Silesia, seems to be one of the more benign sanatoriums until our protagonist, Mieczysław, starts to see hints that something sinister is going on among the townsfolk of Görbersdorf. In Olga Tokarczuk’s slow-burning new novel, The Empusium, we are treated to a strange blend of folk horror and historical fiction along with Mieczysław. This book is beautifully translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. 
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