Book Review: Grim Root by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (2024)

Jun 15

Written By Wyatt

(This review is spoiler-free.)

The core elements of reality TV make great grounds for horror. Questionable motives, real-life situations, narrative arcs, as well and and the winner-take-all nature of the format, really make it an ideal backdrop to get creepy and/or murder-y. In this case, the show is one where a bunch of pretty women compete to marry a very basic Midwestern white dude, though some of contestants may have ambitions beyond making the handsome farmer-pilot from Iowa as happy as a Texas Roadhouse gift card.

Sound like something you’ve seen on TV? Well it isn’t, or at least not after the first few pages. See, we’re in the home stretch of this particular season of The Groom, and Tristan (a man who undoubtedly puts both honey and butter on his appetizer rolls) is taking the final four contestants to a remote haunted house to see who can preen and prim her way to that network-funded finger rock.

You game? I’m so game.

Rich Mahogany and 8k Resolution

The story is primarily told through the perspective of two of the female contestants: Linda, an unemployed divorcee and savvy survivor with a patchwork past she is desperately hoping to get clear of, and Sabrina, whose mother raised her to believe marriage to a man would be her path to prosperity. These women serve as excellent co-main characters, proving at once to be suitably layered, interesting, and sympathetic. I found myself rooting for Linda, just wanting her to finally catch a break, and a touch heartbroken for the long-suffering Sabrina, whose sister took the reins from their mother and now looks to curate every decision on her behalf. The character work is among the novel’s best elements, and the prose feels strongest when it’s coming from the minds of either of these characters.

Stufflebeam writes people and their interactions very naturally, and it’s in these passages that her prose feels most comfortable, most focused. I really appreciated that we would sometimes get commentary on a particular character, then in the next chapter either switch to that person’s perspective, or get some alternate insight into how they are regarded by the wider cast. Writing in emotional territory, particularly for Sabrina or Linda, is tremendously affecting and memorable in this novel. Similarly, I felt genuine disgust when some of the undoubtedly very-real behavior of the production and network personnel was described. I guess this is a slightly long winded way of saying that Grim Root’s emotional chords always strike true, and in a way a lot of genre authors never quite manage.

Rose and Thorn

The novel fits equally well into romance and horror, but I don’t feel the two are blended especially well in this case. The book shifts gears abruptly at times, and developments on one side don’t necessarily leave an impression on the other. I realize this is something that can be lost or exacerbated in revisions, when an author is really dialed in at the chapter and scene levels, but I would have liked to see a bit more natural transition between the two genre from a reader’s perspective. While the book is always a solid read and I stayed up many evenings squeezing in one more chapter because I was thoroughly engaged, the pacing of the main narrative and balance of romance with horror never quite felt symbiotic.

More broadly, the novel as a whole is entertaining, with many humorous moments, creepy revelations, and interpersonal setpieces that deliver, but the book’s parts are probably better than its whole. I felt very conscious of the construction of the novel, knowing we were moving from character work in one chapter to crisis creation or subplot development in the next. It came through in a way that showed the seams just a bit too much. The genres also struggled against each other at times, and while the I enjoyed the novel throughout, I felt the horror elements were at first minimized and then got stuck playing catch-up near the end. I rarely advocate for novels to be shorter, but a 10% cut with an aim to segue scenes together more naturally may have yielded a stronger novel.

It’s very challenging to blend genres effortlessly, and to keep the reader from feeling a bit of friction, but this pacing element was a significant weakness, even if the book didn’t have many others. It’s one of those things some readers may not notice or mind, but it did trouble me and I think a few more rounds of revisions may have been beneficial.

“Skin and bone, country boy. Women are made of skin and bone.”

Structurally, I think the novel begins and ends exceptionally well. The opening act introduces a lot of fun, well-written characters before moving briskly to put them in an interesting setting. Stufflebeam blends backstories in very naturally, putting them into the narrative when the characters encounter an element that prompts related reflection. This gives the reader a bit more about each person as the story goes on, and I found myself revising my impressions of particular people at different moments. This is great work, and something many authors cannot manage.

The book fumbles a bit in the middle chapters, struggling to balance genre elements and spending lots of page space detailing the scene-by-scene of the competition without much happening on the plot-development side. It could have used a strong creepy incident somewhere in here to build intrigue for later, or more naturally transition the focus of the story from the The Groom to the house’s history. That aside, I think it is a resounding success in the home stretch, tying together all of the loose ends and mysteries while setting up a final conflict that is satisfying and complete. I really hope that anyone who feels waning interesting at the midpoint of the novel sticks with it, as it does pay off quite well in my assessment.

Final Thoughts

Grim Root is a novel of peaks and valleys, with the former deserving the bulk of the attention. The character work, scene pacing, and setting–both as a haunted mansion and a television show–are exceptionally well done. However, some narrative meandering through the middle of the book, and its inability to keep the horrific and romantic elements from feeling too detached from each ohter, is a weakness. Nevertheless, I give a solid recommendation to this novel for any reader who can appreciate both romance and horror, and isn’t afraid of the word ‘cunt.’

I read a hell of a lot of debut novels, and almost all of them carry similar issues of balance and polish while often being less ambitious than Grim Root. Rarely is the first entry the best in an author’s catalog, and more often than not, once writing lengthy works are a bit more practiced, we see much stronger efforts in the follow-up. I think Stufflebeam has a lot of talent, a natural voice, and operates very adeptly in the literary territory where she is comfortable. I will definitely pick up her next offering.

Verdict: 7.0

Strengths

Fantastic characters, core and peripheral
Interesting backdrop with some really original elements
Strong beginning and end
Genuinely funny in moments

Weaknesses

Middle section of the novel feels a bit clumsy, less-polished than what preceded it
May not work for readers who can’t appreciate both romance and horror
Could have used a few more holistic revisions in my estimation

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You can purchase Grim Root at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or ideally, directly from the publisher.