The Grip of It

Neutral 2.5 rounded down

There were lots of interesting aspects to the story which is why I didn't DNF it but I probably should have. The story is told from dual perspectives and largely in snippets of he said/she said and I didn't enjoy it. Something made it impossibly hard for me to feel invested in the characters at all so at the end I was left with an impression that can be summed up with a single word: meh.

This sure was a book that wanted to be House of Leaves.

Without giving many spoilers away. This book is about a house who not particularly fond of people living in it. While the story is intriguing enough to keep you reading.

The ending left me completely unsatisfied. While I don't necessarily need a happy ending I feel the ending needed more that it was given to fully flush out the story.

With that said it you like a thrill and mystery this book is a good read. Just don't expect a flushed out ending.

3.5 stars

The Grip of It by Jac Jemc was an interesting if disappointing haunted house story. Julie and James leave the city to move into a strange house in an oddly empty town. Immediately based on the description of the home I started thinking of the Winchester Mystery House, but unfortunately this aspect of the book was explored less than I desired as the book became a psychologically driven story about uncertainty and a literal haunting held in comparison to the haunting of family and trust. This is a fairly short book, and it just didn't really gel for me. Too many elements felt like they did pay off in a satisfying way. i thought the book lacked both clarity and resolution. I also have to say that I don't love the use of unreliable narrators in general. With that said, what I did enjoy was the protagonists slow descent into uncertainty and increasing levels of being unwell. That's something I haven't read in a lot of stories, which was interesting. Sadly it wasn't enough to make me feel like this book was really great. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just expected more... rtc

Oh yes spooky house story. #bookclub4m psychological horror genre

This novel is now on my short list of favorites.

I think my main issue is that a lot of the horror/scary elements were explained awkwardly. The physical blocking of stuff that was meant to scare me was so confusing. For example, when they saw eyes and noses and mouths on the wall. I'm somehow supposed to imagine that when it's not explained well. Just simple stuff that, when horror is made into visual media, is always easier to do.

I was a bit confused on the medical aspect as well. I understand the story is open ended (fair but also did not love this), but with the medical aspect right before it, it feels like we're meant to believe both of them are suffering from the same thing. That none of this is real.

I was especially confused in the “Just Kidding” scene. Not sure what i was supposed to get from that. There are things i desperately wish we'd gone back to (cave, water, trees, rolf in more ways than one).


I loved the jumping off the roof scene and some other moments when they begin to not trust each other. The mold and journals were really special and well done detail. It kept me engaged with the language as well.