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.

This collection of short stories frequently touches on the true and depressing aspects of life without hope for anything better. Intended to be realist, it is, but in ways that depressed, anxious, stressed, or lonely readers could easily become suicidal by reading it. I'm not looking for happy endings or happy stories, necessarily, but these bludgeon you.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!

This is a collection of interesting and unique short stories. Some of the stories caught my attention and held it, while otehrs just fell flat.

i'd read another book of the author for sure.

In 'False Bingo', Jac Jemc is able to bring readers a collection of short stories that weave sinister forces into everyday life. There were some really amazing stories that stood out from the others in this collection but I found myself wanting more from a lot of the stories. I felt that so many of them caught my attention right away, started to build up (whether through character development, storytelling, or through the environment Jemc built), and then ended on an uncompleted note (at least to me). I would have loved to see more of these short stories as a longer novella, but I suppose that defeats the purpose of a short story. Jac Jemc's writing is wonderful and I will be looking forward to more of her work.

Much thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the ARC.

I’m not going to lie, this is the most boring thing I’ve ever read. Sure, a couple stories were creepy, but I never got the pervasive feel of dread or any sort of sinister vibe.

Instead, I just felt like these were a bunch of stories about absolutely nothing, and they were all kind of a let down, even at that. This was so hard to find entertaining that I actively avoided reading, just so I wouldn’t have to finish it.

Which isn’t yo say the writing was bad. It wasn’t. The author has a clear and elegant use of description and in a book that didn’t bore me to tears, I’d probably really enjoy more of his writing. In fact, that’s the only reason I gave the second star.

I love reading short story collections but I always struggle to write reviews for them. It’s like when I look at works of art: I can tell you that I like or dislike something but I can’t necessarily explain why. As I am neither an art critic nor a short story critic, please enjoy this brief, floundering review of a short story collection that I neither liked nor disliked. And hey, lucky for you, I also haven’t figured out how to review books I feel lukewarm about!

The longer stories in False Bingo were the most enjoyable—Jemc infused them effortlessly with moody atmosphere and impressive character depth, though these stories inevitably ended abruptly. (Again, do not ask me what makes a satisfying short story ending—I do not know. I just feel it when I see it!)

I didn’t care for many of the shorter stories, especially compared to the quality of the lengthier offerings. They felt shallow, and too methodical, in a way. But I think we all know that I’m picky and short stories read different to everyone and at different times etc. so of course, take this with a grain of salt.

I’m sure a lot of readers will really enjoy this collection. If you’re a fan of Jemc’s previous work, or of stories like those by Samanta Schweblin, Mariana Enríquez, and Ottessa Moshfegh, give False Bingo a go!

(Hit me up if you’d like a copy of my essay on why Remedios Varo is my favorite painter. It is one sentence and it goes like this: “idk she’s spooky and weird lol?”)

Inn 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.

In “Strange Loop,” an outcast attempting to escape an unnamed mistake spends his day's taxidermied animals, while in “Delivery,” a family watches as their dementia-addled, basement-dwelling father succumbs to an online shopping addiction. “Don’t Let’s” finds a woman, recently freed from an abusive relationship, living in an isolated vacation home in the South that might be haunted by breath-stealing ghosts.

Fueled by paranoia and visceral suspense, and crafted with masterful restraint, these seventeen stories explore what happens when our fears cross over into the real, if only for a fleeting moment. Identities are stolen, alternate universes are revealed, and innocence is lost as the consequences of minor, seemingly harmless decisions erupt to sabotage a false sense of stability. “This is not a morality tale about the goodness of one character triumphing over the bad of another,” the sadistic narrator of “Pastoral” announces. Rather, False Bingo is a collection of realist fables exploring how conflicting moralities can coexist: the good, the bad, the indecipherable.


Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy of Falso Bingo. This was a pretty good book for me. Short stories. Some were though filled, other dark and disturbing.I could finish one story and think of the last bit before rushing through.
I was fan.