Who Wrote It?
The Grip of It was written by Jac Jemc and was first published in 2017 by FSG.
Titan Books published a new edition in 2019.
First Three Sentences
“Maybe we move in and we don’t hear the intonation for a few days. Maybe we hear it as soon as we unlock the door. Maybe we drag our friends and family into the house and ask them to hear it and they look into the distance and listen as we try to describe it and fail.”
What’s It About?
This is a story of secrets; a story of a couple who slowly begin to lose their grip on reality.
James and Julie buy an old Victorian house in a small town in an attempt to move past James’s gambling addiction. They both see it as a new start, a way to rebuild the trust and communication that has been lacking in their relationship.
When they look at the house at 895 Stillwater Lane, they both feel as if something is off about it. There’s a constant low moaning noise, but the secret compartments and passageways excite them and they can’t come up with logical reasons not to buy the house. They don’t question why it’s so cheap or why it’s been empty for so long. They buy it.
“We step through the front door. We hide behind a wall that is more keeping us in than keeping anything out.”
At the start, Julie’s uptight, constantly worrying, and acts more like a parent than a spouse. James is annoyed at how she takes charge of things and the lack of trust she seems to have in him, but he doesn’t say anything because deep down he thinks she’s right.
Slowly, the house and surrounds start to affect their minds and their moods and their day-to-day lives. They keep finding new rooms and compartments where there were none before. The woods seem to come closer at times and they hear children in the woods, high up in the trees. Julie finds what she thinks is a grave in the backyard.
Julie starts finding unexplained bruises all over her body. Water stains and strange drawings appear on the walls. They hear and see things, shadows and growls and masked people in the guest room. The neighbour watches them through his windows but won’t make eye contact.
“I’m stuck in some room of the house. I don’t know how to get out.”
As their torment progresses, they each begin to withdraw into themselves and instead of talking to each other, they don’t say what they’re really feeling or thinking. Instead of relying on each other for support, they start to distrust each other and question each other’s motives.
The house and their lives become full of secrets and confusion and distrust.
“What is worse? To be confronted with an obvious horror, or to be haunted by an never-ending premonition of what’s ahead?”
What Should You Expect?
- Expect a story full of secrets.
- Expect a story about two people who gradually grow apart as their minds turn inwards and start to unravel.
- Expect a study of two people going through the same ordeal but dealing with it in similar but different ways.
- Expect to feel a bit voyeuristic as you constantly switch between James’s thoughts and Julie’s thoughts. For most of the book, the point of view is switched every chapter between James and Julie.
- Expect to realise that they’ve swapped roles by the end of the story and that you might like them differently at the end. At the start, Julie is the take-charge, responsible adult and James is the don’t-care guy who puts minimal effort into things.
- Expect a fast read. There are ninety-two very short chapters and each chapter is one scene.
- Expect some very long loping sentences in the first few chapters, then short, sharp ones as the story speeds up and James and Julie start to lose the ability to maintain focus.
- Expect to be left wondering at the end whether any of it actually happened.
Should You Read It?
Yes.
If you liked Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, you’ll probably enjoy The Grip of It.
