What do you think?
Rate this book
The Suffering
“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.
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.
- GenresHorrorHistoricalAdult
294 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2026
124 people are currently reading
740 people want to read
About the author
David Sodergren
21 books3,355 followersDavid 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Read
February 7, 2026My 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!
Want to Read
March 11, 2026Can't wait for this to release!
May 3, 2026
Nunsploitation mixed with stomach churning body horror. What more can you want?
Review of advance copy received from Author
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.
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.
February 22, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Author
David Sodergren has done it again!
High in the Italian mountains sits a convent cut off from the world. The only visit they get is from the doctor & his assistant who are from the nearest town, (a six hour horse ride up the mountain) twice a year. As the nuns prepare for the winter storm a young woman comes out from nowhere gravely injured. The nuns take her in & after the Dr helps her his assistant decides to stay behind to look after her. However this strange young woman brings with her a great evil that spreads through the convent. Will anyone survive? This book had me on the edge of my seat & often times grimacing at the gorey very detailed situations. Definitely recommend but reader beware, you may not want to be eating while reading this.
A huge thank you to the author for the advanced copy!
High in the Italian mountains sits a convent cut off from the world. The only visit they get is from the doctor & his assistant who are from the nearest town, (a six hour horse ride up the mountain) twice a year. As the nuns prepare for the winter storm a young woman comes out from nowhere gravely injured. The nuns take her in & after the Dr helps her his assistant decides to stay behind to look after her. However this strange young woman brings with her a great evil that spreads through the convent. Will anyone survive? This book had me on the edge of my seat & often times grimacing at the gorey very detailed situations. Definitely recommend but reader beware, you may not want to be eating while reading this.
A huge thank you to the author for the advanced copy!
May 5, 2026
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.
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.
May 7, 2026
Disgusting. Give me 14 of them right now.
👌🏼
Part nunsploitation, part Silent Hill, part T. Kingfisher, part The Evil Dead.
👌🏼
Part nunsploitation, part Silent Hill, part T. Kingfisher, part The Evil Dead.
March 3, 2026
I think it is safe to say, this may be one of the most disgusting books I have read in a long time. I physically gagged in multiple spots, but absolutely loved every minute of it. While this book may not dethrone The Haar as my favorite book by David Sodergren, it definitely is close as a new favorite. It was dark and depressing and horrific in every way, the atmosphere written here is incredible and I felt like I could visualize and feel everything happening, which for some parts was not for the best, without spoiling anything, maybe don’t eat while reading this. This story will stick with me for a long time.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Describe this book in three words: "Cannibalistic. Nymphomaniac. Nuns"
All the vile, disgusting, horrific revolting fun you'd expect from a Sodergren book is all here, but add a little bit of satanic sexual deviancy and you've got yourself The Suffering.
A malignant presence, figurative and literal is brought into a secluded cloister of nuns right before they're cut off for winter. I'll say one thing about the nuns, they sure do have a lot of guts. And intestines. And every other kind of innards you can think of.
As the evil spreads, slowly turning the nuns into fungal rotting horrors, they begin to develop a taste for flesh. Carnal AND culinary.
Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was that everything about this book is absolutely oozing with the same atmosphere and charm of a Hammer Horror film. The characters, the dialogue and the setting all evokes a Hammer film that never was. One of the main reason I love Sodergrens books so much is because he uniquely excels at translating the feel and tone of a particular style of film into the written word. I was glad to see in the afterword that I wasn't imagining things!
Vivid and putrid descriptions of nuns rotting while literally falling apart, eating each other and satisfying their nymphomaniacal desires are fine enough on their own, but the actual mystery behind the story here is so satisfying to watch unfold. There are hints straight from the beginning as to what's really going on, and I think the climax and culmination of everything at the end was some of the most fucked up shit Sodergren has ever written.
Another five star book from Sodergren, and quite possibly his darkest yet!
All the vile, disgusting, horrific revolting fun you'd expect from a Sodergren book is all here, but add a little bit of satanic sexual deviancy and you've got yourself The Suffering.
A malignant presence, figurative and literal is brought into a secluded cloister of nuns right before they're cut off for winter. I'll say one thing about the nuns, they sure do have a lot of guts. And intestines. And every other kind of innards you can think of.
As the evil spreads, slowly turning the nuns into fungal rotting horrors, they begin to develop a taste for flesh. Carnal AND culinary.
Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was that everything about this book is absolutely oozing with the same atmosphere and charm of a Hammer Horror film. The characters, the dialogue and the setting all evokes a Hammer film that never was. One of the main reason I love Sodergrens books so much is because he uniquely excels at translating the feel and tone of a particular style of film into the written word. I was glad to see in the afterword that I wasn't imagining things!
Vivid and putrid descriptions of nuns rotting while literally falling apart, eating each other and satisfying their nymphomaniacal desires are fine enough on their own, but the actual mystery behind the story here is so satisfying to watch unfold. There are hints straight from the beginning as to what's really going on, and I think the climax and culmination of everything at the end was some of the most fucked up shit Sodergren has ever written.
Another five star book from Sodergren, and quite possibly his darkest yet!
May 5, 2026
Wow, like, really WOW. You obviously can't tell where a storyline is going to take you as a reader, and that's the beauty, but this one i don't think anyone could predict. It's certainly in sharp contrast to the beginning of the book.
There was a particular scene which actually made me feel sick. And no book has done that before. Or not that I can recall anyway. Just the imagery that David portrays through his writing was a bit too real for me. There's another scene which was super tense, heart racing tense. The whole book is great but there are definitely a few standout moments. Those were a couple for me. The environment is eerie given it's remoteness and isolation but it soon descends into something quite different.
I love the era, and David does a great job of portraying it through dialogue and descriptions.
Overall, another wonderfully horrible (in a good way!) David Sodergren story. Go read it!
There was a particular scene which actually made me feel sick. And no book has done that before. Or not that I can recall anyway. Just the imagery that David portrays through his writing was a bit too real for me. There's another scene which was super tense, heart racing tense. The whole book is great but there are definitely a few standout moments. Those were a couple for me. The environment is eerie given it's remoteness and isolation but it soon descends into something quite different.
I love the era, and David does a great job of portraying it through dialogue and descriptions.
Overall, another wonderfully horrible (in a good way!) David Sodergren story. Go read it!
February 21, 2026
Another 5 star book from David Sodergren! A sorrowful, tragic and flesh rotting story of a flock of Nuns and the price they pay for their Mother Superiors carnal actions. Through David’s always descriptive words, we get a look inside the hellhole that is Sant’Arcangel - a vile ride through a covenant as the winter approaches and they become shutoff from the world. Side note: I kept reading ‘abscess’ instead of ‘Abbess’ and turns out, that theme really held for the book😂
I was gagging during parts (many parts if I’m honest). My heart was breaking during others, and pounding in the next breath.
These characters were feral and unhinged, even before the sickness took hold. It’s what the suffering will do to you.
I was gagging during parts (many parts if I’m honest). My heart was breaking during others, and pounding in the next breath.
These characters were feral and unhinged, even before the sickness took hold. It’s what the suffering will do to you.
May 2, 2026
Well, that was gory and bleak!
I love a good religious horror and this one wastes no time getting into it with the discovery of a young girl with old axe wounds and was seemingly buried alive.
An isolated setting is set with a harsh snow storm keeping the nuns and lone doctor trapped in the convent.
Things escalate quickly and don't really let up at all. This was a gory, depraved ride all the way to the end!
I love a good religious horror and this one wastes no time getting into it with the discovery of a young girl with old axe wounds and was seemingly buried alive.
An isolated setting is set with a harsh snow storm keeping the nuns and lone doctor trapped in the convent.
Things escalate quickly and don't really let up at all. This was a gory, depraved ride all the way to the end!
May 5, 2026
- religious/historical horror
- body & hammer gothic horror combo
- nunsploitation
- brutal, gory & gross
- a dark evil
- constant state of dread
Everything I love in a horror book, David has once again not disappointed me. Actually I think this book is one of my top 3 now, SO good!
- body & hammer gothic horror combo
- nunsploitation
- brutal, gory & gross
- a dark evil
- constant state of dread
Everything I love in a horror book, David has once again not disappointed me. Actually I think this book is one of my top 3 now, SO good!
April 19, 2026
Sick! Vile! Disgusting! I loved every minute of it.
May 6, 2026
David, what the hell is wrong with you?? And what is wrong with me for rating this 5 stars??
May 9, 2026
Sometimes you read a book that will stick with you, this is one of those books – its dark, creepy, eerie and will gross you out. The body horror is exceptionally done. That dark eerie feeling follows throughout the entire book, and it does not let up. That creeping feeling we see in possession movies? it's here and Its vividly done and gods, did i enjoy it.
The Shuffering is about the nuns of Sant’Arcangel, which is a convent in the mountains of rural Italy. The convent is a sanctuary for the women within its walls. That is until this fateful winter when the storm brings with it a reckoning of sorts. – When the nuns find an injured girl in the woods, and bring her into the safety of their home. Henrik, a doctor who is visiting the convent, decides to stay and help the nuns nurse the girl back to health, but with the snow brings isolation, this is when the world completely turns upside down and madness, violence spreads like a wildfire.
The nuns we meet throughout this book bring with them their own personalities and differing of previous lives that led them here. This makes the cast of characters we see here diverse, each of them having an equally unique perspective – each of them holding close differences between the other. This helps paint the pictures of them really well, how they look, how they act. They are all different people with different histories. I especially enjoyed Sister Ursula, who unlike most, had been at the convent since she was a child – her path is one of love, heroism and built on strength that she pulls in from her faith.
All the gore and sinister presence brings a tale that is full of mystery and an ending that will leave you absolutely reeling. If you like rich stories that bring that the old school horror vibe, this story is definitely for you. It touches on those famous hammer horror gothic elements and creates an image that I may never forget.
The Shuffering is available now through amazon and KU – I highly recommend this book, add it to your TBR, you will not regret it. It is most definitely going straight onto my list of my favourites of 2026.
The Shuffering is about the nuns of Sant’Arcangel, which is a convent in the mountains of rural Italy. The convent is a sanctuary for the women within its walls. That is until this fateful winter when the storm brings with it a reckoning of sorts. – When the nuns find an injured girl in the woods, and bring her into the safety of their home. Henrik, a doctor who is visiting the convent, decides to stay and help the nuns nurse the girl back to health, but with the snow brings isolation, this is when the world completely turns upside down and madness, violence spreads like a wildfire.
The nuns we meet throughout this book bring with them their own personalities and differing of previous lives that led them here. This makes the cast of characters we see here diverse, each of them having an equally unique perspective – each of them holding close differences between the other. This helps paint the pictures of them really well, how they look, how they act. They are all different people with different histories. I especially enjoyed Sister Ursula, who unlike most, had been at the convent since she was a child – her path is one of love, heroism and built on strength that she pulls in from her faith.
All the gore and sinister presence brings a tale that is full of mystery and an ending that will leave you absolutely reeling. If you like rich stories that bring that the old school horror vibe, this story is definitely for you. It touches on those famous hammer horror gothic elements and creates an image that I may never forget.
The Shuffering is available now through amazon and KU – I highly recommend this book, add it to your TBR, you will not regret it. It is most definitely going straight onto my list of my favourites of 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Well, he's done it again. The Suffering may be David's best work to date. The 17th century setting allowed for a brilliant exploration of the English language. The dialogue in particular is so well written, with each line a delight to read.
You know how sometimes a book's name reveals itself later into the story? This isn't one of those times. These nuns suffer, let me tell you. Thanks to the writing style, the endless torment in these pages is well balanced with levity and (dare I say) beauty. Not in the literal sense (as you will understand) but in the wonderful descriptions that bring this bleak world to life.
The Suffering boasts a brilliant cast of characters, each bursting with individuality. I wouldn't wish any of those people to find themselves in the Sant'Archanel convent, but I'm glad I spent my time with them. Better it be them to find out what dark secrets reside in those hallowed walls...
Without revealing too much, this book goes to some pretty crazy places (though what else would you expect?). All I'll say is that I mostly find time to read whilst eating lunch or dinner. I found out the hard way this may not be the opportune time to consume this particular story.
A great achievement in writing, and exactly what you'll need to scratch that horror itch. I highly recommend giving it a read, provided you've got a strong stomach and no dearly held religious beliefs.
You know how sometimes a book's name reveals itself later into the story? This isn't one of those times. These nuns suffer, let me tell you. Thanks to the writing style, the endless torment in these pages is well balanced with levity and (dare I say) beauty. Not in the literal sense (as you will understand) but in the wonderful descriptions that bring this bleak world to life.
The Suffering boasts a brilliant cast of characters, each bursting with individuality. I wouldn't wish any of those people to find themselves in the Sant'Archanel convent, but I'm glad I spent my time with them. Better it be them to find out what dark secrets reside in those hallowed walls...
Without revealing too much, this book goes to some pretty crazy places (though what else would you expect?). All I'll say is that I mostly find time to read whilst eating lunch or dinner. I found out the hard way this may not be the opportune time to consume this particular story.
A great achievement in writing, and exactly what you'll need to scratch that horror itch. I highly recommend giving it a read, provided you've got a strong stomach and no dearly held religious beliefs.
Review of advance copy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Please,” he muttered, as the snow stung his face and the covent loomed over him like a gothic monstrosity. “I beg of you…be not a plague.”
Okay, first of all, can we appreciate David’s book covers. 10/10 EVERY TIME. This one may be my favorite yet! It truly captures the isolating, creepy, dreadful nature of this book. 🙌😱
Let me tell you… he’s done it once again ladies and gentlemen !!
ANOTHER 5 STAR READ. (That’s 8/8 so far)
This one was crazy.
Nuns ✅
Religious trauma ✅
Plot twists ✅
A beautiful love story ✅
Heart shattering ✅
Bloody & gross ✅
I’m a sucker for gothic horror stories and just pure aesthetic vibes. So he nailed this one 🙏
I’ll never stop recommending David sodergren books to people. 🤗
I may have to start a David sodergren fan club. Who’s with me?
Like YEAH I’m a 21 year old fan girl of Taylor swift but also horror author David sodergren 🙌 I can do both at the same time people!!!!! 🤭
He is everything to me!! So stop what you’re doing and GO READ ONE OF HIS BOOKS!! 👩🍳💋
(Ps: I highly recommend listening to “sun bleached flies” by Ethel Cain after reading this book! The vibes are spot on ;))
“Please,” he muttered, as the snow stung his face and the covent loomed over him like a gothic monstrosity. “I beg of you…be not a plague.”
Okay, first of all, can we appreciate David’s book covers. 10/10 EVERY TIME. This one may be my favorite yet! It truly captures the isolating, creepy, dreadful nature of this book. 🙌😱
Let me tell you… he’s done it once again ladies and gentlemen !!
ANOTHER 5 STAR READ. (That’s 8/8 so far)
This one was crazy.
Nuns ✅
Religious trauma ✅
Plot twists ✅
A beautiful love story ✅
Heart shattering ✅
Bloody & gross ✅
I’m a sucker for gothic horror stories and just pure aesthetic vibes. So he nailed this one 🙏
I’ll never stop recommending David sodergren books to people. 🤗
I may have to start a David sodergren fan club. Who’s with me?
Like YEAH I’m a 21 year old fan girl of Taylor swift but also horror author David sodergren 🙌 I can do both at the same time people!!!!! 🤭
He is everything to me!! So stop what you’re doing and GO READ ONE OF HIS BOOKS!! 👩🍳💋
(Ps: I highly recommend listening to “sun bleached flies” by Ethel Cain after reading this book! The vibes are spot on ;))
March 9, 2026
“The Suffering” is absolutely disgusting and vile in the best ways possible. Sodergren really outdid himself with this novel, taking his more gross aspects of “Death Spell” and the more serious tone of “Maggie’s Grave” and whipped them together into a nightmare of religious fervor. It’s shocking, with some gut-wrenching scenes, but also has a main cast of characters that you want to root for, despite the ever-decreasing odds. I had an absolute blast reading this, and I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my collection, since this one truly blew me away. Sodergren is a day-one read for me, and I am so glad to have had the chance to read this one early, since it easily ranks in his top novels I’ve read so far. Such an exciting voice within horror, whom I cannot wait to see write more horrifying stories in the future.
May 5, 2026
The ambiance of this book drew me in, after seeing David Sodergren's name on it of course. If you've never experienced body horror in a book then I would suggest this be your first. It's gruesome, but tolerable (for me, I could still eat and read.) Lots of descriptions of oozing :)
The author really did his research on this book and you can tell. I'm glad I read this on my e-reader too because I was able to easily read the definition of many things. I never would have known what an ossuary was otherwise! So cool and it made my reading experience that more fun.
What happens to the nuns in this book will have you oddly wanting more? Or maybe that's just me.
Another Sodergren novel down, I'm glad he seems to have more on the horizon. I can't wait to see what he does with medieval horror or fantasy after reading this one!
4/5 stars
The author really did his research on this book and you can tell. I'm glad I read this on my e-reader too because I was able to easily read the definition of many things. I never would have known what an ossuary was otherwise! So cool and it made my reading experience that more fun.
What happens to the nuns in this book will have you oddly wanting more? Or maybe that's just me.
Another Sodergren novel down, I'm glad he seems to have more on the horizon. I can't wait to see what he does with medieval horror or fantasy after reading this one!
4/5 stars
May 1, 2026
Absolutely loved it.
The trouble with David Sodergren's books is that they're so addictively, horribly readable that having waited ages for his latest I always end up devouring it in almost a single sitting, and The Suffering is no exception. Downloaded this morning and just finished, this is a bit of a departure as it's a work of historical horror, set in the late 19th century, but is every bit as gruesome and unsparing as the rest of his work. In this homage to the nunsploitation genre, the appearance of a mysterious wounded girl at a snowed-in heralds the advent of a hideous plague that turns the nuns into crazed, rotting, nymphomaniac cannibal fungus-zombies. All this and the Devil too. I absolutely loved it.
The trouble with David Sodergren's books is that they're so addictively, horribly readable that having waited ages for his latest I always end up devouring it in almost a single sitting, and The Suffering is no exception. Downloaded this morning and just finished, this is a bit of a departure as it's a work of historical horror, set in the late 19th century, but is every bit as gruesome and unsparing as the rest of his work. In this homage to the nunsploitation genre, the appearance of a mysterious wounded girl at a snowed-in heralds the advent of a hideous plague that turns the nuns into crazed, rotting, nymphomaniac cannibal fungus-zombies. All this and the Devil too. I absolutely loved it.
May 4, 2026
Absolute 10/10. David Sodergren is my favorite author so that comes as no surprise. Every time he releases a book I burn through it in just a few short hours and then I’m devastated to have to wait for the next release. I tried to really savor this one by only reading a few chapters at a time. Still only lasted me a day because I had to continue reading every single chance I had 😅
This book was vile, disgusting, scary, had a little romance, just perfect all the way around. The ending was exactly what I was hoping for. No notes only wish it was like double the length so I could enjoy it a little longer.
This book was vile, disgusting, scary, had a little romance, just perfect all the way around. The ending was exactly what I was hoping for. No notes only wish it was like double the length so I could enjoy it a little longer.
February 26, 2026
November 1896, the Sant’Arcangel Convent. A home for those with no other choice. A young girl is found outside the convent unresponsive but breathing. This one goes from one to a hundred quickly and the intrigue and pace kept me reading. Religious horror is one of my favourite subtypes of horror. The body horror is delicious and plentiful. As a woman this one left me wincing, crossing and uncrossing my legs frequently 🤣🤣
I actually think this one has overtaken Sodergrens other reads and taken the top spot as my favourite Sodergren read 🖤
I actually think this one has overtaken Sodergrens other reads and taken the top spot as my favourite Sodergren read 🖤
May 6, 2026
🌟 5/5 Stars
As per usual, Sodergren really knocks it out of the park here. I love the concept and the execution and the hopelessness of the horror in this novel. I am also a sucker for nun horror and so there's that. I read the synopsis and I knew I had to read this as soon as it was released and I was not disappointed! Nasty, brutal, immersive and captivating. David Sodergren is such an amazing author, if you love horror fiction and you're NOT reading his work then what are you doing?! You're missing out. I can't wait to read more of his catalog soon. :)
As per usual, Sodergren really knocks it out of the park here. I love the concept and the execution and the hopelessness of the horror in this novel. I am also a sucker for nun horror and so there's that. I read the synopsis and I knew I had to read this as soon as it was released and I was not disappointed! Nasty, brutal, immersive and captivating. David Sodergren is such an amazing author, if you love horror fiction and you're NOT reading his work then what are you doing?! You're missing out. I can't wait to read more of his catalog soon. :)
May 9, 2026
Five Stars!
David Sodergren really just doesn’t miss for me. He’s so good at writing stories that feel intense and chaotic while still telling a genuinely great story underneath it all. Flew through this one and had a hard time putting it down. He always manages to make his books feel unsettling, fun, and super readable at the same time. At this point, his name on a book is basically an instant buy for me.
David Sodergren really just doesn’t miss for me. He’s so good at writing stories that feel intense and chaotic while still telling a genuinely great story underneath it all. Flew through this one and had a hard time putting it down. He always manages to make his books feel unsettling, fun, and super readable at the same time. At this point, his name on a book is basically an instant buy for me.
May 2, 2026
A dark evil has come to the convent. A girl is found in the snow and brought inside the convent. As she recovers a sickness os overtaking the nuns. A rot if you will. Who will survive?
What a great book. I think my favorite by this author. Loved a change of scenery it being a convent and with nuns. What a good horror story.
What a great book. I think my favorite by this author. Loved a change of scenery it being a convent and with nuns. What a good horror story.
February 27, 2026
This book was FANTASTIC! One of the bleakest yet from David Sodergren! I always get excited for new Sodergren and I often love his books but this definitely jumped up into my top 3 of his books very quickly.
May 10, 2026
4.75 ⭐️ This book is brutal, gross, and sad. The setting is awesome, some supernatural elements, and characters that are very well written. Only holding off on 5 stars because of the end…Mr. Sodergren…I needed 5 more pages!!!
March 6, 2026
He did it again! I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of The Suffering and man was it a wild ride. Loved every second of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews