Chronically (been ordering from this store for a few years now) horrible service. Today was the…

Ek told the Financial Times that "AI, mass and autonomy" are "driving the new battlefield."

Tockarczuk is never an easy lift — as to be expected from a Nobel-winner. This was, thankfully, not as heavy duty as The Books of Jacob which, epic in scale, was an endurance contest. Here, we have a book inside my sweet spot of 250-350 pages (301 to be exact), richly layered with well-researched historical contexts, curious characters and meta narratives on western culture’s chronic chauvinism. Tockarczuk pulls no punches. There is an epilogue that lists the real figures from literary history and beyond that she paraphrased when constructing the mysogynistic dialog between all the men. The tale is set in the early 20th century, in a German (now part of western Poland) mountain town, famous for having the largest resort facility for tuberculosis patients in the world. Our narrator appears to be supernatural, who tells us of our main character, Wojnicz and the band of men staying at the resort’s less expensive guesthouse. The narrator hints at the inner thoughts of Wojnicz but mostly remains somewhat clinical and linear in conveying the events during their stay at the resort. The last 15% of the book is the most dynamic. And the author could have found a way to embed that energy in the rest of the novel. Despite that, I enjoyed the blend of (mildly historical) fiction, philosophy, mystery/thriller and the paranormal. The twists of the final portion of the book were genuinely something I could not anticipate and found myself shocked and drawn further into the goings-on. Of all of Tockarczuk’s books, this is the one I think I would be most inclined to read again sometime. . . . . #theempusium #olgatockarczuk #horror #mystery #philosophy #germany #poland #historic #tuberculosis #ex_libris_jz