This eerie horror story is set in a secluded health resort in 1913 Silesia. In September, young Polish engineering student mieczyslaw wojnicz arrives at görbersdorf, a village popular among tuberculosis patients. Wojnicz, having always had fragile health, is sent there by his father in hopes of a cure. He stays at a guesthouse run by the cold willi opitz. Wojnicz is anxious, panics in public, and hates undressing in front of others due to shame about his body. When resident physician doctor semperweiss asks him to strip for a check-up, he avoids it. The doctor insists on daily treatments and suggests willi drink alcohol.
At the guesthouse, wojnicz meets other patients, including another young man, thilo von hahn, an art student from Berlin weakened by health issues. The men share sexist views, arguing women are incapable of complex thoughts. Even when willi opitz’s wife klara commits suicide, the men continue their misogynistic discussions. Wojnicz and thilo are traumatized, especially wojnicz, who found klara’s body. Thilo, fascinated by morbid details, tells wojnicz that every autumn, a man from the village dies, seemingly killed by the forest. Wojnicz dismisses this as folklore but is unsettled.
Wojnicz continues his treatments, exposed to more sexist ideology about women’s inferiority. Herr august, an Austrian philosopher, promotes hygienist views and belittles the dead for giving up on life. The men drink heavily, and wojnicz tires of the treatments and atmosphere. He tries to talk with thilo and reminisces about his childhood. He writes to his father in Poland but only mentions the weather and food, unable to express his true feelings.
Wojnicz spots a beautiful woman near the church and, with thilo, sneaks into the cemetery. They find many graves of young men from the opitz family, all dying in November. Wojnicz, now believing thilo’s warnings, is shaken but returns to routine. Thilo’s condition worsens, and wojnicz is again called by doctor semperweiss for an examination, refusing due to his Catholic faith, which irritates the doctor. Wojnicz, fascinated by klara opitz, sneaks into her room. He meets other Poles but struggles to connect. He ventures into the woods but feels watched and retreats in horror.
Thilo, now bedridden, paints images of abraham’s sacrifice, describing violent thoughts. Frommer, a spiritualist, confirms yearly November deaths but downplays them, attributing them to animals or occult forces. Thilo nears death, leaving wojnicz devastated. The other men are indifferent, and herr august takes wojnicz on a trip as November approaches. Thilo dies, and wojnicz cannot part with his paintings.
Finally, wojnicz strips for doctor semperweiss, recalling painful childhood check-ups. Ashamed of his intersex body, the doctor advises him to trust himself more, saying he’ll be home for Christmas. Wojnicz experiences strange visions in the forest and finds opitz, tied up by patients to prevent him from killing wojnicz. Opitz reveals he intended to sacrifice thilo but the boy died too soon. The forest spirits, the “tuntschi,” demand a human death every November, and opitz used the sanatorium to find sacrifices. The villagers go on a frenzy, and opitz is torn apart by the woods. Traumatized, wojnicz escapes by adopting klara opitz’s identity, now living as a woman.
The Empusium excels in its creepy atmosphere, enhanced by the author’s beautiful writing. Olga Tokarczuk masterfully sets the scene, with detailed descriptions of the cold sanatorium and dark woods. The growing suspense is perfect in the first act, with death looming over wojnicz and thilo. Their friendship feels believable, and wojnicz’s resurfacing traumas make him endearing. The feminist subtext is powerful, with wojnicz’s intersex body making the sexist discourses harsher in hindsight. However, the novel blends genres so much that the ending can feel underwhelming. Philosophical and social discussions, while interesting and character-developing, lessen the climax’s impact. Despite this, The Empusium remains a gripping and well-written Gothic horror story.