[BOOKS OF THE DEAD] The Suffering - David Sodergren

The Suffering - Books of the Dead Review

Welcome to Books of the Dead. A monthly series by published author and founder of The Readers in the Rue Morgue Book Club Victoria Brown where she deep dives into some of her favourite (and not so favourite) authors and books.

Author: David Sodergren 

Publication Date: 01/05/26

Synopsis: Atop a remote mountain in northern Italy rests the Sant’Arcangel convent, a sanctuary for women from all walks of life. On the cusp of winter, Dr Henrik Persson pays his final visit of the year. He cannot stay long, for a storm is coming that will shut the convent off from the outside world.But when a young girl is found injured in the surrounding forest, the victim of a savage attack, Henrik decides to remain in the convent and nurse her back to health. It is, he believes, the correct thing to do.But something has followed the girl to Sant’Arcangel. And once the snow begins to fall, the sinister presence will run rampant through the miserable corridors, bringing violent, bloody madness to all it touches. When all hope is lost, what remains is... THE SUFFERING.

Thoughts:

I devoured this book. David Sodergren’s latest novel, dedicated to Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, feels like Terrance Fischer taking over the reins of Ken Russell’s ‘The Devils’ (1971) or Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s ‘Black Narcissus’ (1947). An orgy of visceral horror, sexual depravity, and religious fever. Bloody fantastic. 

Set in the isolated Sant’Arcangel convent of snowy Italy, the novel follows multiple characters as they navigate what seems to be a contagious plague that has corrupted the physical and mental innocence of the nuns within, following the arrival of a mysterious girl who appears to have been attacked. 

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Before we dive into the book itself, it’s helpful to know just why religious horror is so creepy. It calls free will, control, and sense of community into question, alongside bigger questions of cosmic indifference and mortality. It pushes the boundaries of the acceptable by exploring the corrupt nature of institutions and often perverting things many of us, even some atheists, believe are sacred and worthy of respect. For as long as they have been homo sapiens, and perhaps even earlier, we have had some kind of worship as part of our way of life. Horror is as old as life, and so is belief. That is why religious horror touches us so deeply – belief is part of being human, so anything that threatens or corrupts that feels uncomfortable. In an article for ABC news, Professor Barbara Creed, author of ‘The Monstrous Feminine’, notes that "religious elements in horror […] help us confront evil in its most supernatural, seductive or destructive forms. Religion itself is designed to help people come to terms with themselves and their lives, but also with [their] darker side. The other side of religion, of course, is the devil, which is designed to frighten and terrify.”

‘The Suffering’ explores these things wonderfully. The plot is a simple one, with no real surprises in regard to story beats, but it is the occurrences within those story beats that make you want to keep reading. The main perspectives we experience this tale of religious woe through are Sister Ursula, a young nun who has spent almost her entire life in the convent but dreams of running away to be a nurse. Sister Claudia, the Mother Superior’s ruthless and power hungry second-in-command. And Dr Henrick Persson, who’s desire to spend the winter at the convent is as much driven by his desire to care for the wounded girl on their doorstep as it is to spend as much time as possible with his lover, a not so holy-than-thou nun who wishes to be whisked away to the real world. Sodergren balances these multiple point-of-views perfectly, showcasing the story through the eyes of people with vastly different perspectives and motives, and who therefore interpret the events very differently to each other, and leaving the reader dangling just enough at the end of each point-of-view chapters to entice you to keep reading. 

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The novel does not delve too philosophically into the crooked or hypocritical nature of religious devotion. Sister Ursula does begin to question her belief in God as the horror unfolds, while Sister Claudia develops a psychosis and believes God is talking directly to her through the dying body of her Mother Superior, and Persson seems to be an atheist, but it does not go much deeper than that. And it doesn’t need to, for the convent feels more like a set-piece. Instead, Sodergren focuses more on the horror of pure isolation, lack of resources, and spectacular rotting, sexual violence that ensues as a result of this infestation, which feels all the more corrupt because it happens to women who are supposed to be the embodiment of pure innocence. 

There were several instances where I noticeably cringed with disgust and almost gagged, which is difficult to make me do as someone who has read a lot of horror. Sodergren’s language choices are emotive and therefore evoke visceral reactions from his readers. And in typical Sodergren fashion, the novel does not end on a happy or hopeful note. It ends exactly how it should end.

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'The Suffering' is a fast-paced, disgusting, and fun ride through a plague-ridden 19^th century convent. Well done, Sodergren.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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