The Suffering

by David Sodergren

“Are we safe here?”

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.

A gripping tale of love, death, and total bodily destruction, The Suffering is a new nightmare of escalating dread from David Sodergren, author of The Haar and Maggie’s Grave.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Thriller, Historical, Horror Thriller

294 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2026

About the author

David Sodergren lives in Scotland with his wife Heather and his best friend, Boris the Pug.

Growing up, he was the kind of kid who collected rubber skeletons and lived for horror movies. Not much has changed since then.

His best known books include the gory and romantic fairy tale The Haar, the blood-drenched folk-horror Maggie’s Grave, and the analog-horror fever dream Rotten Tommy. David also writes under the pseudonym Carl John Lee, publishing splatterpunk
novels such as Psychic Teenage Bloodbath and Cannibal Vengeance.

Reviews

[David Sodergren]

My new book The Suffering is out May 1st 2026! This one's been in the works for over two years, and it's a sort-of cross between Hammer Horror, 1960s Italian gothic cinema, and David Cronenberg's early body horror. It was a lot of fun to write, and due to the unusual setting and time period, required much more research than usual, including a trip to visit Italian convents, catacombs, and medical museums. I really hope you dig it!

[Tracy P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4-solid stars.

[Brandon Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly vile!!! Quite simply one of the most brutal and disgusting things I’ve ever read. And what an ending!!!! I’m unwell 😭

**update: checking in to report that I had nightmares about the ending last night 😇

[Youssra (semi ia- shelving books don't mind me) · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!

Dreadfully blasphemous things took place in this book.... cannibalistic nymphomaniac nuns???? sign me the hell up.😌 (pun intended)

I loved every second of this gag-inducing book💚💚

_______________________________________________________


pre-read:

My book hangover is slowly encroaching on book slump territory😩 Only adequate to read a book called The Suffering because that is how I'm feeling rn💀

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Omen x Evil Dead II

Vividly Gruesome, vile, and repulsive.
"You can't kill a devil...you can only send them back to Hell."

There's no ambience like the pulpy nunsploitation films of the 1970s which inspired Sodergren's The Suffering. He traveled to Italy for research and wanted this book to be the 'best nunsploitation story ever told.' I honestly think he earned what he was going for. The gothic atmosphere and Catholic iconography leaped off the page. It seemed like the blood splatter did too. This is not for the faint of heart. I almost considered that it may be beyond my comfort zone for gore, but the writing is so vivid and the atmosphere so on point that I could not look away. Nothing quite gets under my skin like demonic possession. He captured the atmosphere, tension, and disgust with scenes that, I'll just say I can't believe he went there....and it worked.. I'm talking, I might never eat tomato soup again.

The carnage was absolute.

The story opens in a remote convent in the mountains of Italy. A Sister welcomes a homeless child. We meet some of the nuns. Two of them are in love, which is a crime "worse than murder" according the their church Mother. A disease that started with an itch, an odor, and a rejection. A need to see a physician for novelty symptoms. What might have looked like an STD at one point morphs into a full blown contagion with physical and mental symptoms. As their bodies rot from the inside out, the infected go sex-mad and are, essentially, yes you heard it, rotting sex-mad cannibal nuns. A lot of sounds and smells are used to describe these cinematic scenes which made the imagery more vivid.

"she prayed to God to let this be her last winter within the hallowed walls of Sant’Arcangel."

4.75⭐️

[Haly Hoards Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆
I have become a Sondergren fan! I truly like his style of splatter and body horror, but I have to be in the right head space to read it. The way Sondergren builds the tension and horror in his tales is well paced. And, the way the endings land is usually satisfying.

This is a book filled with religious horror. Sondergren calls it a "nunsploitation," novel. I will use his own words to describe what it is about, "rotting sex-mad cannibal nuns." Enough said.

Favorite Quote:
"'The only creatures more difficult to understand than women are nuns,' said Franco."

[Court Zierk · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

This book had nun of what I was expecting. It was anything but convent-ional. I can see how reading Sodergren could become habit-forming.

But, seriously… this one felt very different than any other of his books. In some good ways and bad. Sodergren is a go-to for a b-movie type of feel, and this book was a far from that. It was still gruesome and gory, all trademarks of his style, but it lacked the campiness that I’ve come to expect and love from his books. I honestly don’t like books set in this time period, and I didn’t know that coming into the book, so I was already at a disadvantage from the start.

It was still quite enjoyable, with several parts ranking among my favorites from any book of his. I’ll still read anything he puts out. This did nothing to change that.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

David, you sick fuck! I loved it!!

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars for this adventure into nunsploitation. I enjoyed the flow of the book, and laughed at some of the extreme gore. A worthwhile read if you don't mind some abominable descriptions. Maybe you'll laugh, too.

[Moché · Rating 4 out of 5]

💀 multiple triggers of almost every kind 💀

🌒 abandon hope all you who enter here 🌒

THE PESTILENCE

Murder most foul, as in the best it is, but this most foul, strange and unnatural.
~the Ghost in Hamlet ~

There is no werewolf or vampire or ghoul or axe murderer forcing entrance into the convent.

Death and horror enter unseen in the body of a wounded girl saved from the forest and brought inside to recover.

But there is a virus in her.

And soon it’s in you.

Soon it’s in everyone.

Covering bodies in sores and pus and blood.

Filling bodies with sexual lusts and perversions.

Consuming the heart with a desire to wield axes and kill kill kill for the sheer joy of it.

Soon the hunger is to make love to rotting nuns. To enjoy sex with putrefaction. It’s the only thing that gives victims of the disease any relief from the pain and the eroticism. So they welcome it. They entice it. They demand it.

And eventually only cannibalism and hot blooded murder can bring satisfaction. To consume the decaying flesh of other humans is an act of pleasure and celebration.

The pestilence is relentless and bestial and demonic.

You have a gun. A cleaver. An axe. Kitchen knives.

But is it enough?

Do you have the will to destroy the sexually deranged, blood-hungry nuns from hell and hades and the dank inner darks of our hearts?

Do you possess the will to be like them and savage and brutalize others in order to survive?

And if you do, what does that look like. Feel like.

Scream like.



3.75
rounded up

[Dead Inside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus first.
Others second.
Yourself last.

[Lenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

ew, David!

[Maxwell]

This was my first time reading David Sodergren, and definitely outside of my wheelhouse in regards to the...um, descriptiveness of this horror. But it was fun (while also incredibly disturbing lol)!

I got the audiobook from Libro.fm as part of their ALC program last month and figured it would be a fun summer-ween read. Hannah Curtis did a great job narrating.

If you likes films like Suspiria or Midsommar I think you'd enjoy this one.

[Fern · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was diabolical.

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naughty nuns, extreme amounts of gore, a disease beyond imagination (The Rot) and an explosive ending. This is the most graphic story I’ve read by Sodergren, be prepared for some very disturbing reading.

The story was written as a homage to Italian nunsploitation films of the 70’s. These films involve religious oppression or sexual suppression due to living in celibacy as the main theme. Sodergren says he also drew much inspiration from the classic Hammer Horror gothics, with one of the characters meant to be Christoper Lee who played Dracula in multiple films.

Sodergren stayed true to this style in his writing and created an atmosphere similar to these old films. It is apparent that much time and research was put into this book. 4/5 Think you will enjoy it if you have liked his other work.

[Petri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunsploitation mixed with stomach churning body horror. What more can you want?

[♡ retrovvitches ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ugh i loved this! it was so so good, exactly what i wanted from it. had some really gross and nasty imagery, i read this as quick as i possibly could because i didn’t want to put it down

[⛓️Sarah🥀⛓️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would!


(This review is a little bit of a read..)



—————————————————————————————-
There’s some things that I want to touch base on though;
I look at reviews generally between here & Storygraph, & I noticed a lot of complaints about it not being historically accurate? I mean, it’s fiction— so generally historical accuracy isn’t expected.. I saw people getting aggressive & upset over it way more than what they should’ve. Although, I should also state that it’s in the Extreme Horror realm, & includes Religion (with the story being based around a Convent). If that subject matter is sensitive to you, I would avoid this book. The writer did a creative spin, & I thoroughly enjoyed this — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s everybody’s cup of tea.
As Splatterpunk & Extreme Horror have progressively been getting more popular- Please, Please heed the Warnings. As they’re not saying this as a joke, or to be taken lightly. I’m taking the time to state this, as I’ve been seeing a huge increase in people as of late complaining about these genres- but then not taking warnings seriously. So, a friendly reminder to do your research on a book before reading- you can successfully do this without spoilers.

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Now on to my thoughts of the story;

I’m trying my best to make this a Spoiler-Free review for you guys! I didn’t have many Complaints honestly when it came to the story itself.. I only have 2 which I wouldn’t even say they’re a big deal.. but the 1st complaint would have to be the Ending.
I know it’s hard to successfully create a good satisfactory ending (especially in this genre- most endings are the same). I was more-so disappointed as the build up to the Ending was fantastic; but I felt that it had the potential to be great, & it just didn’t quite drive it home for me. Thus, why this was rated 4 Stars.

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Incoming Spoiler Alert:








I really liked the character Sister Ursula, & I would’ve liked to have seen perhaps a glimpse of her life as a nurse. Maybe I’m in the minority with this mindset, but I felt like it was a missed opportunity. With the introduction of the ‘plague’ in this story, it would’ve been interesting to see Ursula attempting to start her life over after escaping the convent.It honestly would’ve been eerie if this Evil had followed her many towns over.. thinking that she had escaped her fate. Perhaps even getting a visit from Lucia?
With that said, I also felt like there wasn’t enough closure with Ursula & Lucia. The scene with Lucia at the end bringing everybody to their demise, & nothing else was really spoken with Ursula.. This almost gave the impression that she would perhaps see her again in the future? But that never happened— she got to the next town over (thanks to the doctor) to discover everybody was dead. The doctor makes a point of saying,” you escaped the Convent untouched?Why were you spared?” He proceeds to laugh when Ursula states that she was nice to the girl.She’s then infected by him, & locked in a room- insinuating that she would turn in the near future. The End. I know these kind of endings are in spirit of the genre, but I guess I’ve just been itching for somebody to switch it up alittle. Like I said, I really enjoyed this book a lot- just something I would’ve loved to see!





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My only other complaint is rather Silly (not to be taken seriously) but the author had some afterwords with a playlist he had for this book.. I wish this was posted at the beginning so I could’ve read it with that playlist! lol

The whole time reading it I had my own internal radio going, & I actually thought this book would be perfect with some tunes!! With that said, perhaps down the line I’ll give this a re-read to experience the ambience alittle more!



All aside, I loved this & would recommend to fans of Extreme Horror/Splatterpunk!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Ate it up. Religious horror is my toxic trait and this delivered… right up until that ending had me sitting there like 🙂??? still giving 5 stars but I’m holding a grudge.

[Shae Bentley · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ - David Sodergren has done it again because WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK DID I JUST READ?! This might honestly be his most disgusting book yet. Set in a remote convent in the mountains of Italy, the story follows a doctor who becomes trapped when a mysterious illness begins spreading through the nuns. But this isn't your average possession story. It's rotting flesh, religious horror, sexual repression, cannibalism and absolute carnage rolled into one gloriously depraved nightmare.

Omg this book is VILE. I don't think I've ever read so much pus in my life. There were multiple scenes where I physically recoiled, pulled the most disgusted face imaginable and genuinely questioned why I was enjoying myself so much. 😂 But that's exactly why I love Sodergren. He somehow makes me read about the most revolting things imaginable and still have the best time doing it.

Despite all the body horror and complete insanity, there's this incredible gothic atmosphere with the isolated convent and freezing Italian mountains.

This is easily one of my favourite Sodergren books so far (it may even be tied with The Haar, which if you know me, you know that's a big deal because it's an all-time favourite!). It's relentless, blasphemous, disgusting and so much fun, but it's also incredibly well written. I was completely hooked from start to finish and honestly couldn't stop listening. Five very gross, pus-covered stars from me.

Thank you so much to Libro.fm and Simon Maverick for the ALC.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing that David Sodergren had listed Hammer Horror films as an influence on an upcoming nunsploitation novel had me enticed from the get-out for a few reasons. One, I am a big fan of those films. Two, I am always looking for books that properly capture that Hammer-specific version of Gothic atmosphere. And three, most importantly, Sodergren's previous novels have done a great job of proving that he can do tasteless extremely well, and a proper Hammer-esque take on nunsploitation in 19th century Italy would require at least a few dashes of restraint and/or atmosphere-building that is not always present in his other work. In other words, it promised something different. And mostly, it delivers.

A challenge I face with some of Sodergren's work is his tendency to lean into the pulpier 80s VHS rental aspects of his style--something that can ironically also be a source of a lot of his writerly charm as in MAGGIE'S GRAVE and ROTTEN TOMMY. I do, though, admit this may be more representative of an allergy on my part to this type of thing than a failing in his style. To this point, there are a few awkward stabs at humor and some flattening of character that work against the rich world-building he accomplishes in the first third of the novel. Similarly, the structure gets a little flimsy once the action gets moving and in the 80s VHS pulp of it all, this all tracks. But I always sense there is something more boiling underneath, something greater. This go-round, I find that to be especially true.

I think maybe some of it comes from the fact that Sodergren seems to, in reality, generally be a lovely and nice fellow who likes to get a little mean and cruel on the page. For me, this is why THE HAAR is so successful. Beneath the body horror and the meanness, there is a really big beating heart in that book. Here, there is a heart as well, but it is black and diseased. The impression I get is that the real Sodergren is a lot closer to the thing at the center of THE HAAR, and that there may be something inside of him that actively resists giving himself entirely over to the downbeat ugliness a plot like THE SUFFERING requires--which is why we see those tiny injections of silliness or humor that, to me, stick out like sour notes.

That being said, don't take my critiques as denigration. This book contains both some of his most accomplished writing and some of his nastiest, borderline vomit-inducing moments (for all you other sick freaks out there). He was right to cite Hammer as a reference point, and I hope we see more in this register in the future. His choice of setting is spot-on and his sense of place is strong. I love the brutally cold winter, even if the logic of the storm gets a little shaky at times--the whole 80s VHS thing again. The grander take-away is that THE SUFFERING and his last shortie HARD LUCK JENNY have been especially good and if this is the direction he is moving in, I think we may be seeing an artist hitting his stride. Top-tier work from one of the biggest voices in independent horror.

Sodergren Ranked:
1. The Haar
2. The Suffering
3. Hard Luck Jenny
4. Maggie's Grave
5. Rotten Tommy
6. The Forgotten Island
7. Dead Girl Blues
8. Summer of the Monsters
9. And by God's Hand You Shall Die
10. Satan's Burnouts Must Die
11. Death Spell
12. Cannibal Vengeance
13. The Navajo Nightmare

Read on independently published paperback.

[Angela 🦈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.25 stars.

The Suffering by David Sodergren was a fantastic read. I very much enjoyed this one. It was horrific in the best way possible and kept me hooked from beginning to end.

This book definitely doesn't hold back, and it can get pretty gruesome at times, so I'd keep that in mind if you're squeamish. Personally, I thought the gore fit the story well and added to the overall atmosphere.
One thing I especially appreciated was that it wasn't overly religious. It let the horror speak for itself, which made it an even more enjoyable read for me.

If you're a fan of brutal, fast-paced horror with plenty of unsettling moments, I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.

[Amber Cassady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of The Suffering by David Sodergren, and as always, he absolutely delivered.

From the first page, you’re thrown straight into it. No slow build. No easing in. Just immediate dread and chaos. He has this way of hooking you instantly and never letting you breathe. This one is a wild, gross, relentless ride and exactly what I’ve come to expect from Sodergren. The horror is emotional, the pacing is tight. He writes with such confidence that you feel completely locked into the story from start to finish.

If you like your horror brutal, uncomfortable, and impossible to put down, this one will absolutely hit.

Another win.

[myreadingescapism · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it does the job it set out to do, but I wasn't overall wowed.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nasty 😝

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... but I think a little sin is good for the soul. It gives you something to atone for."

A sanctuary for women called Sant'Arcangel convent sits at the top of a remote mountain in Italy. It's the start of winter and Dr. Henrik Persson is paying his final visit before heading back to town for the season. When a young girl is found in the forest, Henrik decides to stay to nurse her back to health. However, a sinister presence has followed the injured girl to the convent, bringing violence and madness to its corridors.

Another wild story, but I expect no less from Sodergren! I don't think I've read/seen any nunsploitation so this was my first foray into the genre. I loved the characters and watching them spiral out of control from innocent (some of them anyway) nuns to possessed, violent nymphomaniacs. They were naughty and repulsive as the sex and violence got worse. Blasphemy!

The plot was addictive, the body horror was vivid, and the gothic atmosphere was absolutely perfect!

[Nathrixia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am unwell ... lol.

This was absolutely terrific. Loved the writing and the setting. I am simply a big fan of horror in a religious setting. Disturbing, disgusting, gory and also kind of sad. I inhaled this book, for me it just hit the right spot. There was a passage in part II that literally made me gag, bah. There is a lot of pus in this book ... like a lot.

[Joshua Waselynchuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leaning 4.5
This book was insane, and I'm still processing everything. We have a remote convent setting we have 'something' that essentially spreads throughout the convent through the nuns and it was.......a lot.

If you like body horror you would likely like this. If that is not your vibe, you might struggle with this. I personally liked this and I did it on audio thanks to LibroFM and their ALC program.

[Emma's In Stock · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNFed @ 52% on page 154.

Yeah, it's gory, yeah, it's intense, but no, it's not enough to get over my distaste here.

I'm here for gore and disgusting stuff, but this was just a bit much. EXACTLY how I feel about The Exorcist (1973), why did we need that scene with the girl and the crucifix? There's a line, personally, and this is crossing it, and I guess I won't find out if that scene even served any purpose to the plot. This is because where I stopped is with a nun being sexually assaulted by another nun for the horror factor, and that is so disgusting to me.

The commentary isn't even that deep, and the whole conversation/joking around about nipples for the callback to be one nun choking on another nun's nipple just gives South Park humor honestly.

Yes, nunsploitation this, nunsploitation that, but sexual assault? To this degree? As a horror element? Yeah, count me tf out.

[Sarahsbookishthoughts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you David Sodergren for the ARC!

This book doesn’t hold back. It is a well crafted blend of grotesque imagery and mounting dread which leads to a descent into chaos and disturbing horror. This combination makes it impossible to put down, pulling you through the pages as you witness the carnage unleashed upon the inhabitants of Sant’Arcangel convent.

“The Suffering” is an exceptional piece of work. Sodergren masterfully crafts a dark, brutal and unsettling story that will leave readers with a range of emotions upon completion. This is an easy five star read and is one of Sodergren’s best works to date.