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Suffer the Flesh

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Zoey Masterson didn't know what pain was before, but she's learning fast. Kidnapped off the Manhattan streets and whisked away from the safe, normal world she once knew, she finds herself the victim of one reprehensible man's vision. Forced to witness the depravities of the seedy underworld where lust, rape, torture and mutilation are a way of life, stripped of clothing, pride, and spirit, Zoey must play their games, bear their torture -- but for how long? Somehow she must learn to survive the daily perversions . . . but how can Zoey survive? How could anyone? Somewhere between ecstasy and pain -- learn to SUFFER THE FLESH.

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2002

24 people are currently reading
862 people want to read

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Monica J. O'Rourke

40 books146 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
Profile Image for Paul Bryant.
2,408 reviews12.6k followers
July 29, 2013
ON MISOGYNY : No 6.

AN UNHAPPY INTRODUCTION

As you may know, every so often I do a review about misogyny, just because it is the gift that keeps giving. There’s always something to say, its adherents are constantly finding new and unexpected opportunities to express themselves. Who would, for instance, have thought that the recent Wimbledon Ladies Singles final would have sparked off such a torrent of grisly hatred on Twitter, but it did. The focus of the male rage was the winner, Marion Bartoli, who was perceived to be fat and ugly and therefore offensive to the male viewers. That was her crime. This is she



These are some of the comments





but out of respect to my fellow Goodreaders I will not be quoting the worst of them.

Check it all out here:

https://twitter.com/EverydaySexism/st...

Next up, Caroline Criado-Perez. In the UK yesterday a 21 year old guy was arrested for sending out on Twitter (again) a number of threats to rape and torture her. What was her crime in his (and other men’s) eyes? Well, it was that she recently campaigned successfully to get a woman’s portrait put on to a British banknote! (They have selected Jane Austen.) When she reported one rape threat to the police, who took the threat seriously, there was “ a massive 24-hour backlash of misogynistic slurs, threats of physical violence and rape”.

A DISMAL REVIEW

I kind of think of reading something like Suffer the Flesh and Topping from Below as anthropological field trips. Plus, I can’t talk about this stuff unless I do.
So : this is a very short novel which begins in the famous Barnes and Noble bookshop in Union Square, NYC, where an overweight woman named Zoe is approached by a thin, pretty woman who tells her that she’s been selected for a new, effective weight loss program and that she’s sorry for her. Within a couple of pages Zoe is kidnapped by fake cops and driven to an underground torture complex – so this is like Hostel for fat girls. The concept here is, apparently, that a diet of rape and torture and little food dished out by a bunch of faceless cruel men for six months will make these women lose a lot of weight. Does this sound insane? Yes, it really does. ( Quote : “This is an extreme weight loss plan.” p92.) So that is the concept of the plot.
But really, this novel is barely a novel at all, it’s a little bit silly to use that word; just as porn films are barely films at all, they’re rearranged beads on a string abiding by the strict rules of the genre.
Anyway, we then get a hundred pages of the usual torture ‘n’ rape, of which I will spare you the details, but I must mention that it includes the second appearance of a Great Dane in my misogyny series (p58). I don’t think it’s the same Great Dane from Topping from Below but surely there aren’t many that will do this kind of thing?

AND THE POINT IS ?

Well – is all this horrible torture-porn of fat women

a) A strong protest that the male oppression of fat women is equivalent to being tortured and raped on a daily basis
b) a series of repulsive vignettes with no purpose other than to please the torture-porn audience (99% male, I assume).
c) An expression of profound self-loathing on the part of the author
d) All three ?

In the debate on American Psycho it became clear that there are many readers who believe that page after page depicting the torture of women can be a morally good thing, because that makes the satire of American capitalism/eighties consumerism/Wall Street yuppies so much more biting and pungent and what have you.

I disagree. On a good day I’ll say that this is not being able to see the wood for the trees, but on a bad day I will say that this hatred of women being displayed for a greater good argument is just a polite figleaf for what is, in fact, merely the blatant display of the hatred of women.
(Is there a whole stream of movies being made by women featuring the torture and rape of men? If so I’ve entirely missed it. This is one way traffic.)

On page 101 some violence begins to be directed against the male characters. After 10 pages of that, it’s back to the women again. And right at the end, the bad guys get caught – oops, now I spoiled it. Dearie me.

So we can agree that misogyny has never been in better health. It surely does not need any help from a woman. This author ought to be up on a charge of aiding and abetting.

Quote from the author :

I get that a lot, how people are surprised a woman could write something so extreme. I’ve been told I “write like a guy".

Yes, a guy that hates women.

***

Previous entries in the misogyny series

American Psycho
The Reader’s Guide to American Psycho
Spare Key
Topping From Below
Beyond the Darkness

Profile Image for Daniel Volpe.
Author 45 books955 followers
August 30, 2021
This book is brutal. The sex and violence are absolutely horrific. The story is pretty simple, and gets repetitive at times. Only seasoned readers of extreme horror should be reading this.
Profile Image for PirateSteve.
90 reviews393 followers
August 14, 2016
For some, the weight can be unbearable.

Ms.O'Rourke writes deadly dark erotica.
This is one of her stories.
Profile Image for Renée.
225 reviews3 followers
September 5, 2021
This was brutal AF. Bloody relentless. I cringed like fuck, legs crossed. It made me feel uncomfortable the way horror should. But I struggled a bit. Not because of the brutality - though that was challenging at times. I just didn’t connect to Zoey or any of the characters. I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of them and that affected my enjoyment of the story.. well, what little of it there was… it was a very basic storyline. However, I will be checking out the author’s other work.
Profile Image for Ms. Nikki.
1,053 reviews319 followers
August 11, 2016
Let's be real. This was a book filled with rape. Rape-ity, Rape, Raper-age. The reason for the rape was supposedly for scientific purposes, but was really for folks who had enough money to pay for women to be kidnapped in order for them to be beat, raped, and tortured to their heart's desire.

I kept thinking there was more to this read, but alas, it was not. It is what the title suggests. The plot was thinner than the cheapest tissue and even I, Nikki who loves the dark stuff, felt like I needed to say some Hail Mary's and apologize to abused women everywhere for reading this. I get a slight reprieve because I did not "like" it.

There was one part that really twisted my wig. The main chick had been raped repeatedly and practically gutted, but she felt a little compassion from one of the guards and decided she wanted to have sex and get real pleasure out of it. If that was my beat up and bloody va-jay-jay, I would have been too afraid to even pee (which she was at one point). One of those, "what the frisbee" moments.

Ms. O'Rourke's writing was not the problem. Sorry, but this is a no on the execution of the subject matter. It could have been awesome if it was a BDSM thing and the pain was voluntary.

This was some woman's nightmare come to life.
Profile Image for Frank.
Author 36 books130 followers
May 24, 2019
There is a sort of mental preparation that one should go through before tackling Monica j. O'Rourke's SUFFER THE FLESH. First, you should not read this after reading anything depressing previous to it (which I did.) You should be familiar with the tropes found in an extreme horror story (which I am.) You should be a well adjusted and generally content member of society before starting to read this (I also like to believe I fit into this category.)

Once you are sure you can handle this, open the first page and prepare to have your wherewithal challenged. This is extreme horror to the extreme. It is violent. It is disturbing. It is rapey. Oh boy is it rapey. It is oh so so so rapey. It is not a comfortable read at all.

And those things, I can handle.

There were, however, some elements to the story line that I had trouble getting on board with. For instance (without being spoilery) the reason the bunker exists was a bit hard to get behind. And that's rough because what happens in the bunker is the brunt of the story. Also, the actions are so extreme as to start becoming over-the-top unbelievable. It's extreme horror and too much should not be enough but in this case it hurt a certain expectation of realism and took me out of the story somewhat.

Still, SUFFER THE FLESH, is action filled, blood spattered, violent and unforgiving. It messes with your emotions and leaves you feeling a little grimy when all is said and done. It's not the best extreme horror that I've read but it will certainly be a memorable one.
Profile Image for Jeff.
Author 24 books169 followers
January 23, 2009
Need to lose weight? Monica J. O'Rourke has the ultimate get-thin quick plan in her first novel, Suffer the Flesh. Zoey Masterson is overweight and alone in the world, when a strange woman approaches her one day and says, "I can help." The help she has in mind is a weight-loss retreat. One where rape, beatings, and humiliation are policy and freedom is gained only by shedding pounds.

O'Rourke creates a vivid story populated by some extremely memorable characters. The nightmarish torments Zoey is forced to endure are overshadowed only by her demented captors. Despite taking their creative inspiration from the Marquis de Sade and the Spanish Inquisition, the "Guards" insist that they are doing everything for Zoey's own benefit.

Calling to mind the Stephen King short story, "Quitter's Inc", by way of the Stanford Prison Experiment, Suffer the Flesh is a fascinating story of authority; the authority we hold over ourselves and the authority we hold over others. O'Rourke takes this philosophical base and stretches it to grotesque extremes.

Not only is the book thoroughly gripping, but it is also just plain scary. The tortures the women undergo are gross and sickening, and O'Rourke places the reader front-and-center for the suffering. Her sparse prose is used to excellent effect and the reader can feel the psychological torment being inflicted. The horrors in this book will linger in one's mind long after the story is over.
Profile Image for Gohnar23.
1,067 reviews37 followers
June 21, 2025
#️⃣3️⃣0️⃣3️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 ⛈️⚡🚨
Date : 📢 Saturday, June 21, 2025 🍙⚔️
Word Count📃: 38k Words 🏕️

──★ ˙💥🪨💣🪨💥 ̟ ⋆✮˚.*⋆

ദ്ദി ≽^⎚˕⎚^≼ .ᐟ My 41th read in "Explosive Impactful Reads June"

5️⃣🌟, the torture porn book did its job really well 😋
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

Its a basic story, you can you find this exact same story on many splatterpunk punk books but right now i would like to focus on something that is outside the lengths of this book and that is the top review.......

The top review literally proves that this book did its job correctly 😆😆😆😆😆😆. I was going to rate this book three stars because you know... Reading too many splatterpunk books, I've seen this exact storyline of one woman getting raped and tortured with graphic depictions most of the time because... that's just one of the most overused "tropes" or what you call it in books. Book wise this is good 😊😄 but the top review of this just......makes me laugh so hard 😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆😆 like are you seriously complaining about misogyny

IN A SPLATTERPUNK BOOK???!?!?!??!?! 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

But i get where you're coming from tho, most people aren't really supposed to be into this genre of literature, this genre ain't for the faint of heart, people may probably don't even know that this genre of books exist, but id just like to point out that

HEY HEY 👋👋🤗🤗👋🤗 THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS GENRE THANK YOU VERY MUCH, THE POINT IS TO MAKE PEOPLE DISTURBED, THE POINT IS TO MAKE PEOPLE CRINGE AND ANGRY AND COMPLAIN, THE POINT IS TO BE THE MOST FUCKED UP PIECES OF LITERATURE and you complaining how fucked up the themes of this book is and how degrading it reads?? In a splatterpunk author's perspective you just gave them a compliment bro, not a hate thread.😅😅😅😅 Your one star review is not a one star to them, they see it as a 5 star because they did their job correctly, they made someone disturbed by their book, which is the point 🙂🙂🙂🫡🫡🫡

This book...is not even hardcore splatterpunk 😭, its not THAT descriptive in its rape and torture scenes, and i mean yeah, rape is like on every page but thats....the most common thing ever in splatterpunk books, don't expect another thing other than that, constant rape scenes, that is always your number one expectation when reading splatterpunk books, ✨constant rape scenes✨.

As a seasoned splatterpunk reader 😎, i welcome everyone who's going to delve into this genre, but most people can't really handle even just reading a single book of this genre because of its themes 😁, hope yall read yalls good books that DONT make you complain 🤠🤗. Splatterpunk ain't for everyone and it shows.
Profile Image for Laurie  (barksbooks).
1,949 reviews797 followers
September 23, 2011
One of the most demented, disturbing books I've ever read. A chubby young lady listens and buys into a stranger's story about losing weight. Before you know it, she's kidnapped and held captive in a house of horrors where the demented pay big bucks to play out their fantasies on these innocent young women (who are basically starved into submission). This one started out interesting but devolved into one big gross out fest. I got bored about midway through despite the constant battering over the head with atrocities set up to outdo the previous ones.
Profile Image for La-Lionne.
484 reviews840 followers
December 12, 2013
I saw somewhere people comparing this book to TFB and BH. Not the same, not even close. There is no plot, just sex scene upon sex scene. DNF at 60%.
Women are kidnapped and brought to some weird ass training camp for overweight people, where they are raped into being thin. They (who ever they are) don't kidnap very fat women because it can interfere with the program. I didn't see where the story was going.
Didn't like any of the character. The whole thing was just weird. Gross, yuck. Moving on.
Profile Image for Xtina Reads.
178 reviews29 followers
July 30, 2023
Absolutely fucking brutal, vile, and definitely not for the faint of heart!!!! Not for the casual horror reader….hell, this may not be for some seasoned extreme readers either. I know why some readers would absolutely hate this but I’m not one of ‘em. Sometimes I’m not quite sure what readers expect from extreme horror but this is fucking extreme and I think it did it’s job. It was upsetting, disgusting, fucked up and I went through a roller coaster of emotions, y’all.



If SA is a trigger, don’t even look at this book.
Profile Image for STEPH.
568 reviews65 followers
December 6, 2022
I can't think of a better word to describe this book. I didn't even want to write this review simply because I am still not happy with the way it turned out. Good thing it was such a short read so I didn't have to suffer. Suffer the Flesh you say? More like "Suffer the Boredom."

It was just plain awful. Misogynistic, flat and filled with repetitive scenes of r**e and torture. It was just too much and I just can't get my head around this mess. Read at your own risk.
Profile Image for Rachel M.
412 reviews17 followers
August 1, 2022
Brutal

This one is quite brutal, lots of violence, lots of gore, lots of sexual violence. I did Mark this down a star because I couldn't stop thinking all the way through the book how stupid the weight loss programme was. That to me was an unrealistic, unnecessary storyline in the book that was referred to throughout..
Profile Image for Diane .
358 reviews13 followers
October 1, 2023
Apart from pages upon pages of very vile and extremely brutal rape scenes(don't get me wrong,I love some extreme gore,brutality and horror)but...I didn't seem to be able to find much of a story behind it all...unless I missed something?😕 and the beginning of the book where the kidnapping took place was far to rushed...it seemed to me like the author couldn't wait to get to all those raping scenes. Also I couldn't bond with or take to any of the characters at all, and I found Zoey totally annoying most of the time!! and I'm sure there are easier ways to loose weight(if this was the point) than being strung up or nailed to a crucifix and tortured sexually with all kinds of barbaric instruments and toys? I can't say I enjoyed this book very much,hence the 3 star rating.If you do decide to read this please be aware that it is very very brutal indeed,mostly against females and some readers may find this extremely hard to handle!!!😱
Profile Image for Pisces51.
764 reviews53 followers
June 7, 2025
Suffer the Flesh (Crossroad Press Ladies of Horror 2016) By Monica J. O’Rourke
My Review 3.0 Stars

This well-known first novel by Monica J. O’Rourke was first published March 1, 2002, and Crossroad Press later published the Macabre Ink First Digital Edition March 11, 2016, under its banner “Crossroad Press Ladies of Horror”. By the time that her debut novel was republished, nearly a decade and a half had passed. It was around this period of time that O’Rourke was being lauded as “probably the best copyeditor currently in the business” by celebrated horror author Brian Keene. She was also working as a freelance editor, proofreader, and book coach. The interviewer in 2018 also generously referenced O’Rourke’s body of written work which was a bit confusing to follow. He referenced her two most infamous works which dated back to over a decade and a half earlier as detailed in the notes below.

It is mentioned in her bio that she was also the author of Poisoning Eros I and II (with Wrath James White), That is accurate but according to my sources it was published by Deadite Press in the summer of 2003, the year following the original publication of “Suffer the Flesh” in 2002. Deadite Press republished Poisoning Eros June 1, 2013, and novel was available on Amazon in multiple formats. I bought a Kindle version in 2023 and read it for a Group Read that year.

Two additional books that O’Rourke fans may not be as familiar with were also noted in the interview. Monica authored a book of short stories and poetry titled “In the End, Only Darkness” which was originally published by Deadite Press September 1, 2014, and was released as a paperback. The book was reprinted by Crossroad Press and published March 1, 2016, only 10 days ahead of the publishing date for “Suffer the Flesh” March 11, 2016. This was good news, and I was able to purchase this collection on Amazon.

O’Rourke also wrote a “post-apocalyptic horror-drama novel” which was first published in June 2013 by Sinister Grin Press in paperback and available as an eBook This novel appears to be out of print. Fortunately, Monica 0’Rourke has been prolific in the short story market and has published over 100 short stories, a number which has undoubtedly grown since 2018 when information was reference in her interview with James Gallagher “Four on the Floor”.

I was subsequently drawn to a more recent interview with O’Rourke from just a couple years ago in which she certainly addressed her most famous and notorious work “Suffer the Flesh”. Personally, I loved the interview with Monica, and it illuminated much of her rationale for “delivering extreme violence, often extreme sexual violence”. Monica has naturally been deemed a “feminist” because she walked into the “boys’ club” and wrote about sexual violence directed at women. She notes that she has been accused of being a misogynist for her approach to writing the extreme violence meted out to her own sex. I thought it was most illuminating that O’Rourke stated pretty clearly that she does have some feminist ideals but that she took a more militant approach a couple decades ago because she was flat out writing for shock value. Monica feels like that her timing was excellent when she jumped into the fray of writing extreme horror in the late ‘90s, and moreover she “got really lucky regarding the notoriety”.

I have now read Monica O’Rourke’s notorious extreme horror novel “Suffer the Flesh”. I have not been interested in the subgenre of Splatterpunk/Extreme Horror for a long time, and I am grateful that hardcore veteran fans are patient with me and give me advice almost any time I ask, which is so thoughtful and generous of them. I have wanted to read “Suffer the Flesh” for a long time, and the book has been gathering proverbial dust on my Tablet.

I want to say very truthfully that reading Monica’s reasons for writing “Suffer the Flesh” helped me immensely to mesh my feelings for the novel with my later rating for the book. She was interviewed about metaphors in the novel, and I could just “see” her response before I read it. Monica stated clearly that she was not “looking for the meaning or the metaphor when writing “Suffer” twenty plus years ago. She broke it down simply and said the book was written for two reasons only. First, she “was friends with a small-press publisher who wanted to launch an extreme horror line” and second, Monica had read about a study which had been conducted “where women who had lost weight said they would rather lose a limb than regain the weight”. “Losing a finger” became enduring extreme sexual violence and ultimately trying to avoid torture kills, maiming and brutal murder.

The protagonist in “Suffer the Flesh” is of course Zoey Masterson, who was unceremoniously abducted off the Manhattan streets and taken to an undisclosed destination where she is sexually abused and tortured relentlessly while brainwashed that the program is to assist her to lose her unwanted pounds of weight. There is a literal and figurative stripping of the woman’s humanity and sense of self-worth in addition to sustained psychological torture despite the author’s absence of design. It is not my intent to bore anyone any longer with how illuminating I found O’Rourke’s complete interview to be. Pursuant to the first half of the novel (“Suffer the Flesh”) the sexual depravities and the rape, torture that the group of women prisoners were forced to endure was numbing after a while. The main character of Zoey did not inspire me to feel any positive emotions toward her, and it impressed me that she was just going along with the program and occasionally wondering when it would end.

Readers know that the second half of the book was a radical departure from the first half. The staff of the place inform the girls/women that they will be having visitors and that they must comply with whatever the guests ask of them. It is the same group of wealthy men who have dumped tons of money into this secret little sex dungeon, but this time when they arrive, they are fed up with paying and not being allowed to do anything they want to the women, to include beating, maiming, and murdering. In the interview with Monica O’Rourke, she acknowledges an interest in the works of the Marquis de Sade. Perhaps the torture devices used in the great inquisition should have been mentioned for comprehensiveness. This section of the book was more extreme and relentlessly sick and sadistic. There were medieval torture devices all over the place with women restrained, grievously maimed, and awaiting death.

Finally, I wanted to address the review from Cemetery Dance that was quoted on Amazon. It blatantly describes “Suffer the Flesh” as “disturbingly erotic. O’Rourke’s viewpoint on this topic was perhaps not especially surprising, particularly after reading her candid interview that was published a couple years ago. She was of the opinion that the sexual content would be an aphrodisiac.

Positive points were allotted for well written scenes and the propulsive pacing of the storyline. The Epilogue was even a blow. I am unable to rationalize a rating greater than 3 Stars. Perhaps ironically, I felt quite differently about “Poisoning Eros” which I rated 5 Stars.

O’ROURKE’S WORKS A HIT AND A MISS: THIS ONE A MISERABLE “MISS”
Profile Image for George K..
2,758 reviews368 followers
September 4, 2016
"Μαρτύρια της σάρκας" ο τίτλος του βιβλίου, αναγνωστικό μαρτύριο για μένα. Εντάξει, δεν λ��ω όχι που και που σε βρόμικες σπλατεριές, έτσι, για να ξεφύγουν λίγο τα αίματα. Αρκεί, βέβαια, να έχουν μια καλή ιστορία να πουν, να είναι καλογραμμένες και, φυσικά, να μην ξεφεύγουν από κάποια όρια. Όμως αυτό που μόλις διάβασα ήταν πέρα από τα δικά μου όρια. Σιχασιά. Αυτό ένιωσα. Ειλικρινά δεν κατάλαβα τον λόγο ύπαρξης του συγκεκριμένου βιβλίου.

Η πλοκή πιο απλοϊκή και από... χαρτοπετσέτα, γεμάτη υπερβολές και αηδία, οι χαρακτήρες μονοδιάστατοι και αδιάφοροι (δεν ένιωσα τίποτα για τα αίσχη που πέρναγε η βασική πρωταγωνίστρια, ονόματι Ζόι), οι διάφορες περιγραφές των σεξουαλικών βασανιστηρίων ωμές και έντονες, αλλά μοναδικός τους σκοπός να προκαλέσουν αηδία και νεύρα στον αναγνώστη και όχι συναισθήματα συμπόνιας για τα θύματα... Η γραφή, επίσης, δεν μου έκανε καμία εντύπωση, ευκολοδιάβαστη και ξεκούραστη μεν, αλλά γενικά αδιάφορη δε. Η ατμόσφαιρα σαφώς σκοτεινή.

Γενικά δεν. Κάτω του μετρίου ιστορία, αλλά έτσι και αλλιώς τέτοιου είδους ιστορίες δεν είναι καθόλου του γούστου μου. Αν θέλετε να σιχαθείτε σε κάποιο βαθμό, διαβάστε την. Εγώ δεν την προτείνω πάντως. Ευτυχώς που το βιβλίο δεν μου κόστισε πάνω από τέσσερα ευρώ. Από εκδόσεις Λογείον προτείνω όλα του Κέτσαμ (που είναι άκρως ποιοτικά μέσα στις σπλατεριές και την βία τους), αλλά και το "Αντικλείδι" του Ρ. Φρέντερικ Χάμιλτον, που ναι μεν είναι κάπως βρόμικο, αλλά αρκετά ευρηματικό για το είδος του.

Υ.Γ. Η ελληνική έκδοση περιέχει και ένα μικρό διήγημα, με τον τίτλο "Γιασεμί και σκόρδο", που είναι περίπου της ίδιας θεματολογίας. Και εδώ έχουμε σεξουαλικά βασανιστήρια, αλλά είναι σαφώς πιο σύντομα. Επίσης η γραφή μου φάνηκε καλύτερη. Και πάλι, όμως, δεν μπορώ να πω ότι μου άρεσε.
Profile Image for Penny.
50 reviews13 followers
May 31, 2017
I'm not sure where to start. Suffer the flesh is a story based on abduction, and sexual torture. The gut wrenching graphic details are not to the faint of hearts. If your sensitive to rape scenes, then by all means, pass this one by. However, there is a story line, and several plot twist, that makes this book difficult to put down. I rather enjoyed the story, and I don't mind the psychological ride it took me on. However, I didn't really care much for the writing style. Perhaps better editing would have improved this book to a five star rating? As twisted as it sounds, I was hoping Zoey, and Kevin would get together in the end. I was also looking forward to the guards being sexually tortured, which didn't happen either. Suffer the Flesh is a short, and easy read book that will make any woman cringe. Actually, it sort of reminded me of a novel by J.F. Gonzalez called Survivor. If you liked Survivor, you'll enjoy Suffer the Flesh.
Profile Image for Ana.
46 reviews11 followers
May 22, 2018
OMg

This saga book was a page turner! I couldn't put it down. Monica O'Rourke kept me on my toes the entire time.
Profile Image for Vicky K22.
31 reviews17 followers
September 17, 2021
Jesus! This was horrific and brutal as fuck, this is my first book from O’Rourke and it’s definitely not going to be my last !
Profile Image for Herschell Gordon.
30 reviews
April 23, 2021
This book was too much for me. I’m an extreme horror fan and I’d seen this book on so many lists that say it is essential reading. It is well written and an interesting story but it is not my style. I can handle sex with my horror but this was way too close to reading erotica than I am comfortable with.
Profile Image for Jack.
63 reviews11 followers
July 14, 2013
Horrific, brutal... disturbing. A nasty piece of work. Monica O'Rourke is not for the faint hearted. Hardcore or extreme horror. Think Wrath James White or Edward Lee. It's not violence just for the sake of it. "Suffer the Flesh" is well written and I really enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Lisa Lee.
569 reviews42 followers
August 13, 2018
Suffer the Flesh is extreme horror fiction.
Extreme Horror.
That means that the subject matter is extreme to the point that it may offend some readers. That means that the descriptions are graphic. The sequences are graphic. The sex, violence, and language are graphic. The story is graphic to the extreme.

But it is not a senseless gore fest.

Suffer the Flesh is a harrowing and brutal story about self-image on both ends of the spectrum: the self-conscious and the narcissistic. The graphic torture and violence illustrate a dramatization of the internal turmoil and victimization that people who have low self-esteem struggle with on a daily basis. The horrifying scenes of abuse and rape alternated with moments of mercy and pleasure is a testament to the ugly treatment of people who struggle at the hands of the privileged and the “beautiful” people in society. The graphic brutality of the telling is only fitting considering the subject matter.

In addition to the violence, is, of course, the psychological impact of the abuse and torture upon the victims. As the reader waits in anticipation of what horror comes next right alongside the characters, we feel an inkling of their tension and terror, sure in the knowledge that people are indeed capable of inflicting such cruelties upon one another in the real world. It’s in the news every day. This aspect of the story lends it the features of both suspense and psychological thriller.

Nonetheless, this is horror.

There are a few places where the exaggeration of things is evident. Some things are portrayed larger, more extreme than an experienced individual may find believable. But this is fiction after all, and straying into the realm of the fantastic keeps the reader grounded just enough to stay sane throughout the experience.

This book can be enjoyed as a graphic extreme horror story by those into such things or appreciated for its insightful depth and symbolism by those so inclined or both. But I believe that those who cannot enjoy it at all either don’t like extreme horror to begin with or find the underlying symbolism strikes an uncomfortable nerve of familiarity. This book is definitely not for everyone, though, so check your intestinal fortitude before entering.
Profile Image for Angie.
3 reviews2 followers
January 22, 2015
My first ever review on here, and all to say this book was awful. And yes, this contains spoilers. I'll preface this by saying I enjoy reading twisted books every now and again, so my negativity doesn't stem from moral outrage, although the misogyny in this book is pretty outstanding. This book sets out to shock, and for me, fails miserably. And as such, the topics it touches upon (for example the objectification of women etc.) become totally devalued.

This book is like a checklist of poorly written depravity, featuring sexual torture, bestiality and multiple fetishes (all warped and turned into the most horrific versions of themselves). Within a ridiculously short amount of time you are bombarded with rape and torture and none of it is well written or particularly well described so it lacks any kind of impact, apart from eye rolling and confusion. The story - a rich sociopath kidnaps and tortures fat women to encourage weight loss - is so laughable! It feels like it was written by an author who hopes to shock, but in reality you are left with poor dialogue, a shoddy storyline, a main character you couldn't care any less about and by the time the unrealistic and rushed ending comes about you are just thankful it's over.
Profile Image for Dani Julian.
Author 9 books165 followers
January 12, 2012
Definitly NOT for the faint of heart, this book is chock full of graphic and insanely disturbing scenes involving rape, torture, and horrific humiliation, but thankfully not edgy in the sense that it felt to me like the author was aiming for a "shock value" effect, or that she was celebrating or embracing such horrors in some way.

Ultimately an interesting concept, and a book that is shocking in a manner that has real artistic
merit, which is my big requirement for books, films, etc. that feature such mind-blowing gruesomeness.

My big gripe would be that I felt little to no real "connection" to the characters, including the unfortunate heroine. The characters felt a bit paper-thin, as if they were placed as "props" within the groteque world Ms. O'Rourke created. Better character development would have made this a 4 Star book for me.
Profile Image for Horror Bookworm Reviews.
535 reviews191 followers
May 27, 2018
Suffer The Flesh dives head first into an extreme story of a deranged group of controlled behaviorist society that executes unspeakable acts upon restrained females. Zoey, an unlikely civilized heroin is thrown into an unspeakable abusive captivating situation, in which the reader is dragged along from a normal civilization, into a dark decadent underground society full of violent and sexual behavior. Zoey is forced to somehow survive and extract revenge upon those that are deserving of punishment.
Profile Image for Russell Holbrook.
Author 31 books88 followers
November 20, 2018
This was a truly dark, disturbing, and very intense journey, kind of like a pornographic, gore-soaked SVU episode. I don't know if the explicit nature of the prose is necessary or not, but I admire the unflinching approach that the author took to her subject. Although this was a grim and uncomfortable read, I'm glad I took the trip and survived through to the end.

The version of this book I read also includes a short story called "The Nurturing Type", which is a wonderful blast of dark and bloody humor. Very cool!
Profile Image for Debbie Mann.
664 reviews73 followers
May 14, 2019
Disturbing

This book is definitely not for everyone. Truly disturbing, but with that said it was definitely a real page turner. It is full of rape and torture so at times was really tough to read.
Profile Image for Jason.
Author 5 books14 followers
January 26, 2010
Surprisingly good imagery that doesn't feel repetitive. Twisted, dismal and drippy.
Profile Image for Charles.
Author 26 books96 followers
October 10, 2012
Definitely not for everyone! If you have a taste for hardcore horror, though, Monica O'Rourke is awesome.
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