Book Review: Grim Root by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam

“Fear makes the heart grow stronger.

“Who will be able to stay longer?”

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When a group of women participate in a reality TV dating show called The Groom, the final five get much more than they anticipate. In addition to the usual fare — an eligible bachelor, individual and group dates, behind-the-scenes hookups, filmed “confessionals,” strict rules, contestant tension and turmoil, zero privacy, and difficult producers and crew — they undergo some thoroughly strange and spooky experiences. Date destinations range from weird to disgusting, culminating in a required week spent in a haunted house.

Matrimony Manor, situated in the aptly-named, 1880s ghost town of Matrimony, is a decaying abode sequestered behind a tall fence atop a mountain surrounded by a crooked forest. Equipped with a sinister history, peculiar orchard, and eerie ambiance, the house is downright uncanny. Constructed of oddly textured walls that occasionally leak putrid pink slime, it’s filled with forbidden areas and secret passages, doors, hallways, and staircases. And after the Groom dies a horrible death, the contestants are left to wonder whether they’re involved in a matrimonial competition or a deadly game.

Grim Root is a story of lies, murder, blackmail, fear, jealousy, misogyny, and manipulation where everything is potentially deadly, things aren’t as they appear, and no one is as they seem. Setting and atmosphere are key, with the house functioning as a character in itself (one of this reader’s favorite gothic/horror tropes) where intense feelings of isolation, claustrophobia, filth, neglect, decay, and outright nastiness prevail. Deception is the order of the day, as characters are haunted by their own dark backstories and unique personal motivations, all carefully concealed beneath false veneers. This gothic tale lives up to its pitch as “The Bachelor meets The Haunting of Hill House,” weaving an evil, page-turning tale where personal flaws have deadly consequences.

Thank you to BookSirens and Dark Matter INK for providing an eARC of this forthcoming gothic horror novel for review consideration. It’s an atmospheric and page-turning experience and a creative and refreshing take on the haunted house!

🖤Amanda