The Empusium

In September 1913, MieczysławWojnicz, a student suffering from tuberculosis, arrives at Wilhelm Opitz’s Guesthouse for Gentlemen, a health resort in what is now western Poland. Every day, its residents gather in the dining room to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur, to obsess over money and status, and to discuss the great issues of the day: Will there bewar? Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women inherently inferior?Meanwhile, disturbing things are beginning to happen in the guesthouse and its surroundings. As stories of shocking events in the nearby highlands reach the men, a sense of dread builds. Someone – or something – seems to be watching them andattempting to infiltrate their world. Little does Mieczysław realize, as he attempts to unravelboth the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they havealready chosen their next target.A century after the publication ofThe Magic Mountain, Olga Tokarczuk revisits Thomas Mann territory and lays claim to it, blending horror story, comedy, folklore and feminist parable with brilliant storytelling.