Jac Jemc did it again, if you loved the weird and bizarre tales in The Grip of It you will be just as delighted by False Bingo. Each story has an undercurrent of darkness that sends an unsettled chill down your spine. Jac Jemc writes fever dreams like none other and turns the mundane everyday human interactions into twisty mindbending marvels.

This is a brilliant, unsettling collection of short stories. It is a perfect choice for the start of autumn. In False Bingo, Jemc has crafted several stories I won't soon forget.

Jac Jemc blew me away with her debut My Only Wife, quickly securing my fandom for her.

The worlds in which Jemc's characters reside are slightly off kilter, her stories throb with the sensation that something just isn't right - they produce an itching under the skin, a tingling of the scalp, a raising of the hairs on the back of the neck. No, something is definitely not right here and yet... it remains always just out reach.

She is queen of the strange and eerie, fabulously messing with us as she teases out the tension, allowing our imaginations to begin to run away with us...

While this works effortlessly within her novels, I felt the short story platform did not always lend her the time or space to fully pull it off... in some cases it felt rushed, in others I felt we were only just scratching the surface of what could have made for an amazing novel.

Jac Jem does it again. Brilliant and disturbing short stories. They are all very compelling and I definitely will recommend this book.

I was convinced this book was not going to effect me. After putting it down twice I have to say I’m glad I went through with it. There’s a real sense of craft and some memorable work in this book though, for me, it was very uneven. But the tales that stuck were worth returning for. Truly unique and enough great ideas and execution to warrant a return to Jemc’s world in whatever she writes next.

I loved "False Bingo" for a lot of the same reasons I liked her novel "The Grip of It" - it takes the horror genre and really tones it down but not in a bad way. It makes you stop and take a look at the everyday, sometimes mundane, and see the eerie and evil within it. Some stories were simpler, while some were truly creepy and made me turn my lights back on.

The description of this book made it sounds like something that would be right up my alley; unfortunately, that was not the case. There are 20 stories on just around 250 pages, and therefore the majority of them are underdeveloped without any resolution at the end, making them feel like someone's notebook of story ideas rather than a finished product. There were some highlights - mainly the longer pieces in the collection. I am a fan of short stories and usually enjoy this genre, but I wish this contained maybe only the 5 best stories at triple their length to give the characters and plot lines more space to develop. The author's writing, in all other aspects, is intriguing and well-crafted, and I would be interested in her other works, but this collection missed the mark in my opinion.

Interesting collection of short stories, most of which I liked. Some were a bit too esoteric for me and I wasn't quite sure what the author may have wanted to say.

From the book's description: "The mundane becomes sinister in a disquieting story collection from the author of The Grip of It. In Jac Jemc's dislocating second story collection, False Bingo, we watch as sinister forces--some supernatural, some of this earth, some real and some not--work their ways into the mundanity of everyday life."

This was my biggest concern with Jac Jemc's collection. False Bingo? More like False Advertising. There's really only one straight-on horror story ("Don't Let's") and it's a very good one. The rest are about everyday people (mostly), facing unusual or difficult circumstances. Sure there are creepy moments and stories filled with dread and suspense, but this isn't horror — and that's OK.

The stories are well-written and the collection is quite good. I'm in the marketing business and I understand how her previous novel, The Grip of It, was a ghostly horror story and the publisher wanted to tie this book to that one. But False Bingo stands on its own as a compelling read that displays the range of this author's talent.

Average rating of all stories: 3.4

Okay okay okay so if you've never read Jac Jemc (I hadn't prior to False Bingo) then I highly recommend checking her out, and this anthology is a fantastic place to start! What makes her prose so wonderful is that she as an author is hidden beneath strong characters and powerful storytelling, but her voice remains nonetheless. False Bingo hosts an array of characters from so many walks of life, different personalities, struggles, and goals, and yet Jemc's stories all have an air of cohesion to them. You know they were penned by the same person, despite how drastically different the plots and point-of-views.

Lately I've been in this slump where I'd rather watch YouTube before bed than read, but with False Bingo I found myself fighting to keep my eyes open well past my bed time, going, "I can read one more story! I can fit another in!" These stories brought back my love of books from that gray area and I am endlessly thankful for that.

If you've ever enjoyed a Daniel Woodrell novel or if you liked Stephen King's Night Shift I encourage you to give Jac Jemc's short stories a read. (My favorite was Loser!)

False Bingo is a short story collection by Jac Jemc. It's a great anthology where Jac flexes her literary muscles. She uses the ordinary (similar to Steven Millhauser) to create a strange and curious narrative. I loved this collection.

Jac Jemc's collection of short stories are sometimes brilliant enough that you wished they weren't short stories. Even the worst ones are like fever dreams, the mood stays the same but the characters change.

False Bingo is a remarkable and haunting collection of stories. While reading it, various stories reminded me of some of my other favorite authors- Shirley Jackson, Kelly Link, and Flannery O'Connor, all who in varying degrees were masters of making readers feel unsettled. There's something truly magical about the ability to feel unsettled. Straight horror is one thing, but making the reader feel like something is slightly off (that person is a little *too* friendly, did I really leave that door open?) is something that requires a lot of skill. I prefer feeling unsettled as opposed to being straight up terrified. I love stories without easy answers, ones that fill my imagination for weeks, imagining the details not provided by the author. All of the stories in False Bingo are left open for further pondering, which I absolutely loved.


If I had to chose a favorite story, it would probably be "Don't Let's," but there was not a story in this collection that I didn't enjoy. False Bingo is easily joining the ranks as one of my favorite short story collections, and I can't wait to shove this into the hands of all my friends, making everyone I know feel a little bit more uneasy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

False Bingo by Jac Jemc

False Bingo is a short story collection written by one of my favorite indie authors. Jemc’s haunted house novel Grip Of It was a spine-tingling descent into the vulnerability of relationships. I loved every single thoughtfully placed syllable in that novel. If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself that favor.

In False Bingo, Jemc’s deceptively simple stories transcend. In my favorite short, “Half Dollar,” two young girls play a terrible prank on a devastated widow by pretending they saw her husband’s ghost on the subway. Though one of the girl’s learns a valuable lesson about navigating trust, it’s the way Jemc describes the sorrowful widow that gives this story its elegance: “Before us stood a woman, not thin so much as empty of herself. She had been fuller at some point, and in the once-filled spaces, a lack coaxed our attention.” The writing is just peak art.

And the hits just keep on coming. A false account of a violent break-in awards one woman her freedom, but incites multiple false copycats throughout the neighborhood. A murderer details her methods of torturing males who waste her time. A daughter makes peace with her father’s death while learning he’s not really her father. And many more revelations of falsehoods, deceits, and as the title suggests, false bingos.

Life is incidental and accidental. And tragically revelatory when viewing the world through Jac Jemc’s lens. Visit her books soon, and visit them often.

Big thanks to NeyGalley for the pre-pub copy in exchange for an honest review. I would have hastled them so hard if they denied me this, so really it was for their own good.

The description of this collection promised sinister and I feel it failed to deliver that. Interesting and some strange tales for sure though.

There are some really good stories in here ( Don't Let's & Bull's Eye) but the vast majority bored me or just felt dull and unfinished. I feel a little bit of a jerk for saying short stories felt incomplete, but hey, it's my opinion. I wanted more of the subtle creeping dread I got from the author's novel The Grip of It, but only a few stories went there.

Worth a read, but not a buy.

any other 1/5 - i don't understand lmao this girl bethany jus wylin' out playing pretend, huh?

delivery 4/5 - upon finishing i out loud said, "what?" this was such a mind fk and i honestly have no idea what i just read but i enjoyed it and want more, i want to understand what was really going on

strange loop 4/5 - so many creepy undertones. ouroboros.

the principal's ashes 4/5 - this felt haunting in a real world way.

don't let's 4/5 - so far maybe this is my favorite story. some myths mimic real life too much, fears are parallel with reality and nonreality, which is worse, what we know or what we can't see? maybe it's the same thing, a projection. maybe it's easier to paint a narrative than see the actual threat.

get back 3/5 - "How long would I feel this urge to seek justice on those who did me even minor wrongs?" "Death is but a scar." is this a tale of imagination or fact?

pastoral 2/5 - "You have been waiting for the threat. That is where you are wrong." was the best part of this one.

loser 5/5 - this was relatable. being the outcast that will never be accepted even if you do things similar to the elite. they're going to stay stuck on their opinion regardless because that's who they are, and you aren't the issue. they're not the people you need acceptance from anyway. you aren't the loser. you aren't losing. yes, you're winning. yes, you're finding.

the halifax slasher 4/5 - it's terrifying what women face in this world, but something terrifying in a similar way is lying about a real issue women actually face. why would you want to be a part of such a horrible epidemic by falsifying and pretending to be a victim of it instead of reaching out and helping the true victims at the hands of these assaults. this is sick. tragedy isn't something to lie about.

bull's-eye 5/5 - i've gone and played bingo a lot and this described the feeling of a bingo hall entirely. this also had me thinking a lot about what makes a person good or bad. sometimes good people are just more opportune to doing bad actions, have more chances, more openings, and the bad will find a way to do so regardless of the circumstances.

half dollar 5/5 - manipulative friendships. cruelty to others at your own expense. "doubt fell over where it was i should have laid my trust."

manifest 1/5 - obsession. ocd. unhinged.

gladness or joy 5/5 - i loved every second of this, every line, especially that last piece W O W that was amazing and filled me with so many emotions.

default 3/5 - i enjoyed the beginning of this, the string of words. the last half was depressing.

maulawiyah 5/5 - very human. toxic. no effort. in order to truly change you have to look within yourself, even at the parts you don't want to face. it's too easy to pretend certain things about yourself don't exist, but they're there and others will see them and be affected by them. you're in control of you and should work toward being better for yourself and others. don't lay your burdens on them continuously while simultaneously not even trying to fix it.

hunt and catch 4/5 - paranoia. this had a heavy unease to it

under/over 4/5 - expectations. selfishness. refusing to understand. annoyance at being reminded factual details. belittlement. self praise. entitlement. ungrateful.

kudzu 5/5 - i'd read an entire novel about this. i want to live in the woods and have skills society doesn't have or understand.

trivial pursuit 3/5 - a board game is a board game is a board game

loitering 5/5 - this story fked me up. i feel shellshocked right now.

False Bingo provides us with a fabulous compilation of short stories published by Jac Jemc. Short story books appeal to me, because there isn’t a huge time commitment involved in reading them. You can read a story, or two, or even three when the urge strikes. There is not an overall theme to the stories in this book. Some of them were more appealing than others. Some ended rather abruptly leaving the reader to think, what happened? Needless to say, I enjoyed the book. It was interesting, well written and a rather fun diversion from the usual novels.


This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com close to publication date.

False Bingo is a collection of fictional tales in the which the reader is given a brief glimpse into each of the characters’ lives. Some of the stories explore real events while others observe more events bordering or completely outside reality. This is a difficult review to write because some of the stories I found absolutely fascinating while others just didn't hold my attention. Most of the stories felt incomplete, almost a teaser instead of a full reveal. Overall this was an interesting and entertaining novel for fans of Jac Jemc's work.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I hate to say that I just was NOT impressed with these stories. It may take a certain reader to enjoy the vagueness and stories that just went no where, to me.

In a day and age where plot outweighs substance, I'm not entirely sure this book will be for most. In fact, I can think of only three friends who would actively enjoy the majority of this collection. That's not to say it's bad. It's anything but bad. The problem here is the tl;dr crowd, a crowd that has somehow started to seep into readers' circles. The saving grace for this book is that it is packed with short fiction that is quite short. There are three long(ish) stories, but most of what's on display here are a thousand or so words longer than flash fiction, which in itself is refreshing. But this also leads to a problem, because many have become used to the Stephen King-short-story length, where a novelette is considered a short, and a novella is novel-length. There's only one story in here that I believe overstays its welcome, and only then because I didn't understand it. Will you? Who can say, really?

"Don't Let's" is my favorite of the collection, but a close second is "Over/Under". The former is probably the only story of the bunch that I would consider horror, and even then it's horror in the same way Jemc's novel THE GRIP OF IT is horror. It's dread inducing yet subtle. It provides lore and creepitude aplenty in such a short timeframe. The latter of my two favorites is a story of a sister taking the fall for her younger brother. I appreciated this one, as I've done something similar in my life and received about as much appreciation as the sister in the story does, so my enjoyment, I feel, might land on the biased side of things.

Two negatives I must address is a) the book description, and b) the story "Maulawiyah". a) is a problem because it gives the reader false expectations [looks at the title and wonders if this is intended...]. This is not a "sinister" book. Most of it is slice-of-life stories dealing with social situations that some will find uncomfortable, but as I said above, the only scary story, or "sinister", if you will, is the aforementioned "Don't Let's", and even that one isn't what most would call a horror story. Now, you don't have to tell me that "sinister" does not have to denote horror, because I'd agree. I'm not talking about my perception, I'm talking about the perceptions of horror fans, especially those coming off a readthrough of THE GRIP OF IT. If you enjoyed the subtle horror and dread of Jac Jemc's second novel, you'll not find more of the same here. Only one story fits that bill, in my opinion, and that's "Don't Let's". Where b) is concerned is that I simply did not understand the point of the story. It's the only story (and the longest of the collection) where I wanted it to end. Not because I was uncomfortable or anxious but because I was bored. I failed to connect whatsoever, but it is a testament to this collection's strengths that it is the only story I feel that way about.

The writing is as fantastic as I've come to expect from Jemc, and the wordplay is on point. I especially liked the double meaning of some stories/titles. One particular tale is "Trivial Pursuit" about a couple trying to find a new couple to hangout with. Then you have "Kudzu", which is an endearing tale of a mother and daughter living outside of society, and the mother's anxiety regarding her daughter going out into the world. As someone who homeschools not for religious reasons but safety concerns, I related to "Kudzu" quite a lot.

There are a few middling stories that I could've done with or without. Any collection has them, and they're usually subjective (isn't everything?) so I will refrain from mentioning them here on the grounds that I don't want to give any preconcieved notions to anyone who might otherwise enjoy them. The only reason I mentioned the story I didn't like is so that maybe someone might explain the purpose of the story to me, because it went right over my head.

I also fear that some of these tales were not written for someone like me, meaning someone of the male persuasion. When I read THE VEGETARIAN, I got quite a few comments about how I obviously missed the "horror" and "anger" women keep inside them. Like I said in that review, I'm a dude and will only ever be a dude, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of that statement. I know women have it rough. I understand that. But I do not claim to understand the inner workings of the female mind, just as I don't claim that all men think the exact same way. I do feel that my being a dude hindered my enjoyment of "Hunt and Catch" because it seemed like a riff on the struggles women face while simply out and about: catcalling, harassment, those kinds of things. I've never had this problem (of course) so I failed to connect to the person in the piece. Then again, I could be way the fuck off. The story could be about social anxiety period, but it seemed more gender specific. I'm sure people will let me know how wrong I am.

In summation: FALSE BINGO is a great collection of short stories, but I would warn against taking the "sinister" bit in the description too seriously. If you come here for a collection of horror, you will be sorely disappointed. If you come seeking peeks into the lives of others you might not normally read about, you'll find an abundance of tales about interesting people in intriguing situations. Lastly, if you're someone who demands a beginning, middle, and end to all of your short fiction, be prepared for some hard stops and ambiguous endings. Not every story has a complete feel to it, but that didn't lessen my enjoyment. We rarely get concrete endings in life, and I like it when short fiction mirrors that.

Final Judgment: Tales of people being people.