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The Once Yellow House
The 'Yellow Massacre' of November 19th 2020, in which three hundred and forty-seven members of a secretive society known as 'The Retinue' were brutally slaughtered, has gone down in history as one of the most horrific and compelling unsolved mysteries of the decade, if not century. So far, information about this tragedy has been patchy and heavily censored by authorities.
Questions abound: what was the exact cause of death of so many victims? What role did married couple Hope and Thomas Gloucester play in the massacre? What exactly went on at the property know as the 'Once Yellow House', where the Retinue were encamped?
And are the rumours true -- were the Retinue really a cult?
So far, these questions have gone unanswered.
Until Now.
Bram Stoker Award nominated author Gemma Amor (DEAR LAURA) has been granted exclusive access to never before seen documents collated from a variety of sources, including entries and sketches from the alleged personal scrapbook of Hope Gloucester herself, verbatim transcriptions of recorded conversations, emails, articles, and letters, and, driven by a desire to help shed light on a mystery that has affected the lives of so many, has compiled them into the world's first coherent account of the Yellow Massacre.
What follows is a collection of somewhat surreal first-hand descriptions of a catastrophe that seems to be part truth, part rumour, party fantasy, and one might even suggest: part performance art.
Questions abound: what was the exact cause of death of so many victims? What role did married couple Hope and Thomas Gloucester play in the massacre? What exactly went on at the property know as the 'Once Yellow House', where the Retinue were encamped?
And are the rumours true -- were the Retinue really a cult?
So far, these questions have gone unanswered.
Until Now.
Bram Stoker Award nominated author Gemma Amor (DEAR LAURA) has been granted exclusive access to never before seen documents collated from a variety of sources, including entries and sketches from the alleged personal scrapbook of Hope Gloucester herself, verbatim transcriptions of recorded conversations, emails, articles, and letters, and, driven by a desire to help shed light on a mystery that has affected the lives of so many, has compiled them into the world's first coherent account of the Yellow Massacre.
What follows is a collection of somewhat surreal first-hand descriptions of a catastrophe that seems to be part truth, part rumour, party fantasy, and one might even suggest: part performance art.
216 pages, Paperback
First published March 9, 2023
59 people are currently reading
1307 people want to read
About the author
Gemma Amor
46 books836 followersI'm a horror fiction author, podcaster, artist and voice actor from Bristol, in the U.K.
I write for the wildly popular NoSleep Podcast and various other horror fiction audio dramas. My traditionally published debut FULL IMMERSION is out from Angry Robot in September 2022.
Find me at @manylittlewords on Twitter and Insta.
Repped by Mark Falkin at Falkin Literary.
I write for the wildly popular NoSleep Podcast and various other horror fiction audio dramas. My traditionally published debut FULL IMMERSION is out from Angry Robot in September 2022.
Find me at @manylittlewords on Twitter and Insta.
Repped by Mark Falkin at Falkin Literary.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 4, 2024
Check out my Interview with Gemma Amor at Grimdark Magazine.
My complete review of The Once Yellow House is published at Grimdark Magazine.
Religious occultism collides with the color yellow in Gemma Amor’s latest horror novel, The Once Yellow House. The Bram Stoker Award-nominated author adopts an entirely epistolary format for The Once Yellow House, with the story told through a combination of diary entries, newspaper clippings, and transcripts of audio recordings.
The plot of The Once Yellow House focuses on the events leading up to the Yellow Massacre of 2020, in which 347 members of a cult known as “The Retinue” were brutally killed on a property in upstate New York called the Once Yellow House. The Once Yellow House was owned by a married couple, Thomas and Hope Gloucester. Thomas is presumed dead from the Yellow Massacre, while Hope is now missing and needed for questioning.
Thomas originally started The Retinue online, gaining a following that somehow expanded exponentially after he and Hope moved into the Once Yellow House. Before long, cult members gathered to camp out in their yard, treating Thomas as a divine figure.
This epistolary style of The Once Yellow House is especially effective at revealing bits of information, allowing readers the chance to put together pieces of the puzzle. Gemma Amor also makes brilliant use of this format to delve into the minds of her two main protagonists: the presumably widowed Hope and one of the few cult survivors, known only as Once Yellow Kate. Hope and Kate are both murky about the events leading up to the Yellow Massacre and must rely on each other’s perspectives to piece together the full story.
I particularly enjoyed the discussions between Hope and Kate comparing art and religion. As an artist, Hope interprets many of the occultist practices in terms of artforms, noting how both art and religion embrace symbolism. Moreover, both famous artists and religious leaders earn followers who fervently await their every word.
I also appreciated Gemma Amor’s incorporation of artwork throughout the book, which provides another dimension of disquiet as we try to grasp the true nature of Hope’s situation. All of the artwork in The Once Yellow House, including the cover, were made by the author herself.
Through her believable and somehow relatable characters, Gemma Amor explores themes of emotional abuse and the corruption of love. The unsettling elements of The Once Yellow House span a range of psychological and cosmic horror, as well as truly grotesque body horror. This book is definitely not for the squeamish.
The Once Yellow House also serves as Gemma Amor’s love letter to the color yellow. Yellow is the color of happiness, light, energy, and friendship, but also the color of caution, cowardice, and deceit. I enjoyed reading Hope’s musings on these multifaceted meanings of yellow in art. Hope is particularly attracted by Vincent van Gogh’s prolific use of yellow in his paintings, reflecting on how his choice of color scheme mirrored his evolving mental state.
Gemma Amor’s writing is perfect, as usual, with a keen attention to detail. As an upstate New York native, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she even used our correct telephone area code in the novel.
Gemma Amor is one of my favorite horror authors, and The Once Yellow House only reinforces that view. The Once Yellow House is both a brilliantly constructed puzzle and a first-rate work of art.
My complete review of The Once Yellow House is published at Grimdark Magazine.
Religious occultism collides with the color yellow in Gemma Amor’s latest horror novel, The Once Yellow House. The Bram Stoker Award-nominated author adopts an entirely epistolary format for The Once Yellow House, with the story told through a combination of diary entries, newspaper clippings, and transcripts of audio recordings.
The plot of The Once Yellow House focuses on the events leading up to the Yellow Massacre of 2020, in which 347 members of a cult known as “The Retinue” were brutally killed on a property in upstate New York called the Once Yellow House. The Once Yellow House was owned by a married couple, Thomas and Hope Gloucester. Thomas is presumed dead from the Yellow Massacre, while Hope is now missing and needed for questioning.
Thomas originally started The Retinue online, gaining a following that somehow expanded exponentially after he and Hope moved into the Once Yellow House. Before long, cult members gathered to camp out in their yard, treating Thomas as a divine figure.
This epistolary style of The Once Yellow House is especially effective at revealing bits of information, allowing readers the chance to put together pieces of the puzzle. Gemma Amor also makes brilliant use of this format to delve into the minds of her two main protagonists: the presumably widowed Hope and one of the few cult survivors, known only as Once Yellow Kate. Hope and Kate are both murky about the events leading up to the Yellow Massacre and must rely on each other’s perspectives to piece together the full story.
I particularly enjoyed the discussions between Hope and Kate comparing art and religion. As an artist, Hope interprets many of the occultist practices in terms of artforms, noting how both art and religion embrace symbolism. Moreover, both famous artists and religious leaders earn followers who fervently await their every word.
I also appreciated Gemma Amor’s incorporation of artwork throughout the book, which provides another dimension of disquiet as we try to grasp the true nature of Hope’s situation. All of the artwork in The Once Yellow House, including the cover, were made by the author herself.
Through her believable and somehow relatable characters, Gemma Amor explores themes of emotional abuse and the corruption of love. The unsettling elements of The Once Yellow House span a range of psychological and cosmic horror, as well as truly grotesque body horror. This book is definitely not for the squeamish.
The Once Yellow House also serves as Gemma Amor’s love letter to the color yellow. Yellow is the color of happiness, light, energy, and friendship, but also the color of caution, cowardice, and deceit. I enjoyed reading Hope’s musings on these multifaceted meanings of yellow in art. Hope is particularly attracted by Vincent van Gogh’s prolific use of yellow in his paintings, reflecting on how his choice of color scheme mirrored his evolving mental state.
Gemma Amor’s writing is perfect, as usual, with a keen attention to detail. As an upstate New York native, I was pleasantly surprised to see that she even used our correct telephone area code in the novel.
Gemma Amor is one of my favorite horror authors, and The Once Yellow House only reinforces that view. The Once Yellow House is both a brilliantly constructed puzzle and a first-rate work of art.
October 24, 2023
Told through multi media, and presented in the form of an edited manuscript with footnotes and illustrations, The Once Yellow House looks into how 300+ cultists were brutally, unexplainably murdered. Most of the story is told through diary entries, and a back and forth recorded conversation between the two sole survivors.
There’s a lot of very imaginative body horror, and some very unsettling moments with the husband and the house both transforming rapidly. It’s also an ode to the color yellow, and so there was a lot of very vibrant imagery that I was able to picture in my head as I read.
It’s also an examination into a deeply toxic marriage, and I honestly wish we got more of that. The MC and her husband moves into this sorta haunted house, and she starts to learn that he isn’t who she thought he was. It’s good, but that’s my favorite trope in a story and I eat that stuff up 😂
I wish it was maybe 100 pages shorter. There’s a big section in the middle that I really think hinders the story. It’s a back and forth convo, and it’s brought up by the one person that we really should move on with the story, why so much backdrop, why so much build up, and I agree 😂 it honestly ruined any tension that had been built up prior, this constant urging of like “come on let’s go let’s get to the good stuff”, so that when the good stuff finally happened it was a bit of a let down after all the build up.
Overall, still recommend and really enjoyed it!
There’s a lot of very imaginative body horror, and some very unsettling moments with the husband and the house both transforming rapidly. It’s also an ode to the color yellow, and so there was a lot of very vibrant imagery that I was able to picture in my head as I read.
It’s also an examination into a deeply toxic marriage, and I honestly wish we got more of that. The MC and her husband moves into this sorta haunted house, and she starts to learn that he isn’t who she thought he was. It’s good, but that’s my favorite trope in a story and I eat that stuff up 😂
I wish it was maybe 100 pages shorter. There’s a big section in the middle that I really think hinders the story. It’s a back and forth convo, and it’s brought up by the one person that we really should move on with the story, why so much backdrop, why so much build up, and I agree 😂 it honestly ruined any tension that had been built up prior, this constant urging of like “come on let’s go let’s get to the good stuff”, so that when the good stuff finally happened it was a bit of a let down after all the build up.
Overall, still recommend and really enjoyed it!
August 13, 2024
On November 19th 2020, hundreds of cult members who followed "The Great God Thomas" died in the Yellow House Massacre in Lestershire, New York. The circumstances surrounding these deaths are mysterious and gruesome, and only two survivors are left to tell the tale. This story is related in turns through diary entries of Thomas' wife Hope, recounting the events leading up to the massacre, and transcriptions of an interview that takes place two years after between Hope and the one member of the cult who managed to escape.
There's a lot to unpack here about love, art, the senses, and abuse. Hope is a victim of domestic violence even before Thomas achieves his status as cult leader, and I had a lot more sympathy for her than I did for Kate, who vacillates between being Hope's therapist and her self-righteous accuser throughout the interviews. I think the book could have benefited from having some sections from the POV of Kate during the events of 2020.
Although this all sounds pretty straightforward as far as story goes, The Once Yellow House is one of the most insanely gory and chaotic pieces of fiction I have read. Chaotic not in the structure or my ability to understand what was happening, but in the utter insanity of what is being related. I certainly respect and can admire it, but ultimately, this book was a bit too over-the-top for my liking. There's mold and spores and lots of bodily fluids, and some of the combinations of sex and body horror just made this a bit too much for me, particularly a scene where . I mean, go ahead and call me a prude, but ick, just no.
The story that I had been enjoying ultimately got lost in all of the gross, and although it did circle around in the end, I didn't really buy that either.
There's a lot to unpack here about love, art, the senses, and abuse. Hope is a victim of domestic violence even before Thomas achieves his status as cult leader, and I had a lot more sympathy for her than I did for Kate, who vacillates between being Hope's therapist and her self-righteous accuser throughout the interviews. I think the book could have benefited from having some sections from the POV of Kate during the events of 2020.
Although this all sounds pretty straightforward as far as story goes, The Once Yellow House is one of the most insanely gory and chaotic pieces of fiction I have read. Chaotic not in the structure or my ability to understand what was happening, but in the utter insanity of what is being related. I certainly respect and can admire it, but ultimately, this book was a bit too over-the-top for my liking. There's mold and spores and lots of bodily fluids, and some of the combinations of sex and body horror just made this a bit too much for me, particularly a scene where . I mean, go ahead and call me a prude, but ick, just no.
The story that I had been enjoying ultimately got lost in all of the gross, and although it did circle around in the end, I didn't really buy that either.
June 17, 2023
I couldn’t even begin to try to describe this book in a way that sounds coherent, but I’ll take a stab:
The Once Yellow House is an epistolary horror novel about a cult, a brutal massacre, social media, the loss of self, the loss of control, the loss of a child, the death of a marriage, emotional abuse, the power of shapes, art, geometric patterns and colors (you heard me right). It has elements of psychological horror, body horror, cult horror, cosmic horror … you name it.
I’m really not sure how Amor managed to pack all these things into one novel without the entire story collapsing under its own weight and ambition, but she largely succeeds. It’s an extremely weird and wild ride with heavy themes and deep philosophical concepts that you simply need to experience for yourself. Picture the band Tool in novel form, and you’re in the right ballpark.
Gemma Amor continues to impress me more and more with each release. She’s brilliant and extremely reliable, and proved it yet again.
The Once Yellow House is an epistolary horror novel about a cult, a brutal massacre, social media, the loss of self, the loss of control, the loss of a child, the death of a marriage, emotional abuse, the power of shapes, art, geometric patterns and colors (you heard me right). It has elements of psychological horror, body horror, cult horror, cosmic horror … you name it.
I’m really not sure how Amor managed to pack all these things into one novel without the entire story collapsing under its own weight and ambition, but she largely succeeds. It’s an extremely weird and wild ride with heavy themes and deep philosophical concepts that you simply need to experience for yourself. Picture the band Tool in novel form, and you’re in the right ballpark.
Gemma Amor continues to impress me more and more with each release. She’s brilliant and extremely reliable, and proved it yet again.
February 29, 2024
Boy, this had a lot going on... psychological horror, body horror, cosmic horror, emotional abuse, corruption of love. Amor packs a lot into this one, and as usual, does it well. Not my favorite of hers so far but still good and solid, nonetheless.
Read
April 1, 2023The Once Yellow House is both a fascinating story and a reading experience. Told through audio transcripts, diary entries, and a personal favorite: letters to the editor, the story is given depth by footnotes likely to send a reader down a Wikipedia rabbit hole from which they will emerge with a deeper knowledge of obscure European painters and the color yellow.
The Once Yellow House was the centerpiece of an overnight cult fixated on Thomas – known by his followers as The Great God Thomas. Imagine your completely normal (outside of the abuse) spouse has secretly cultivated a following of thousands, espousing cherry-picked religious doctrine, without your knowledge. He then buys a house well past the tipping point of submitting to nature, also behind your back.
Kate was a member of the cult searching for answers from one of the few to survive the massacre that would be the end of the cult, known as the Retinue. Hope, a fellow survivor and wife of The Great God Thomas, is the reclusive target of her search. Upon meeting, the story is revealed via audio transcripts of their conversation interspersed with Hope’s diary entries. Thomas’ metamorphosis from man to god is endlessly enjoyable. There is no limit to Amor’s talent in describing the various manifestations; the visuals are disgusting, but in a way that will leave a smile on your face.
Hope guesses at the how and why without settling on a singular explanation. The story benefits from this ambiguity. The best stories get you thinking, planting seeds of possibility and leaving you to tend the garden, to see what grows.
The Once Yellow House is the perfect book to pull you out of a reading rut if you find yourself in one. It’s different. It’s fun. And, like when you’re thinking of buying a new car you will notice that model everywhere...you will notice yellow. And triangles. But mostly yellow.
(I don’t leave star reviews within my own genre, but this is great go buy it!)
The Once Yellow House was the centerpiece of an overnight cult fixated on Thomas – known by his followers as The Great God Thomas. Imagine your completely normal (outside of the abuse) spouse has secretly cultivated a following of thousands, espousing cherry-picked religious doctrine, without your knowledge. He then buys a house well past the tipping point of submitting to nature, also behind your back.
Kate was a member of the cult searching for answers from one of the few to survive the massacre that would be the end of the cult, known as the Retinue. Hope, a fellow survivor and wife of The Great God Thomas, is the reclusive target of her search. Upon meeting, the story is revealed via audio transcripts of their conversation interspersed with Hope’s diary entries. Thomas’ metamorphosis from man to god is endlessly enjoyable. There is no limit to Amor’s talent in describing the various manifestations; the visuals are disgusting, but in a way that will leave a smile on your face.
Hope guesses at the how and why without settling on a singular explanation. The story benefits from this ambiguity. The best stories get you thinking, planting seeds of possibility and leaving you to tend the garden, to see what grows.
The Once Yellow House is the perfect book to pull you out of a reading rut if you find yourself in one. It’s different. It’s fun. And, like when you’re thinking of buying a new car you will notice that model everywhere...you will notice yellow. And triangles. But mostly yellow.
(I don’t leave star reviews within my own genre, but this is great go buy it!)
March 25, 2023
My full review will appear in an upcoming community sampler from Wintry Monsters Press. But here's the bottom line: "The Once Yellow House is an epistolary novel of cultic and cosmic horror that seamlessly entangles diary entries and audio transcripts at the forefront. When things get weird, they get really weird—Amor does not hold back in that regard. There are elements of body horror, domestic disturbance, imprisonment and mania, eco horror, and more to be found in this novel equivalent to the found footage genre of film. It’s wonderfully written, gross, unhinged, strange, and deliciously addictive."
November 10, 2023
4.5 stars! This book is great!
Full disclosure: religious cults are one of the few things that really get under my skin in the horror genre. (And real life.) So the story was bound to speak to me at least a little bit. But on top of that, it was well written, strange, full of concepts I haven’t seen a million times and all sorts of insane body horror. The book was also presented in different formats, like transcripts of interview audio of two of the main characters and excerpts of the diary of one of those characters.
The weirdness and unsettling atmosphere start on page one and are unrelenting. I tried not to speed through this too quickly and instead slow down and savor it, but the short chapters made it so easy to keep reading and I was fascinated by the story so I finished it in a couple of days. I love horror books about artists and weird, scary things happening to them. This was just the kind of thing I look for.
The author does a great job of creating a situation in which the main character is stuck in an abusive relationship. However, there was a very specific moment in which I absolutely could not believe that she made the choice that she did, given the information (and opportunity) that she had. This disbelief would happen again, but the story was so fascinating to me and the relationship so complicated that I was willing to look past it. And again, the author put the effort in to build this tense atmosphere around an impossible situation that can’t be explained away.
You will get Cosmic horror, fungal horror, and body horror in this book in addition to the cult stuff. There’s interesting rhetoric around the color yellow, art and even mathematics and geometric shapes.
My only issue really was that Kate’s feelings towards Thomas seemed very inconsistent. She waffled between seeing him as a horrible, abusive person and suddenly claiming that there must be good in him somewhere. Which is it? It made her character confusing. That’s why I gave the book a 4.5 instead of a perfect 5. This author seems very skilled, though, so there may be something I missed, like a strategy behind some of Kate’s behavior in the interview sections. I may revisit the book at some point with a second read.
Highly recommend this for horror fans and readers who like weird stories. It was one of my favorite books of the year! I’m going to seek out more of Amor’s work right away.
TW: Animal harm, domestic abuse, depression, miscarriage
Full disclosure: religious cults are one of the few things that really get under my skin in the horror genre. (And real life.) So the story was bound to speak to me at least a little bit. But on top of that, it was well written, strange, full of concepts I haven’t seen a million times and all sorts of insane body horror. The book was also presented in different formats, like transcripts of interview audio of two of the main characters and excerpts of the diary of one of those characters.
The weirdness and unsettling atmosphere start on page one and are unrelenting. I tried not to speed through this too quickly and instead slow down and savor it, but the short chapters made it so easy to keep reading and I was fascinated by the story so I finished it in a couple of days. I love horror books about artists and weird, scary things happening to them. This was just the kind of thing I look for.
The author does a great job of creating a situation in which the main character is stuck in an abusive relationship. However, there was a very specific moment in which I absolutely could not believe that she made the choice that she did, given the information (and opportunity) that she had. This disbelief would happen again, but the story was so fascinating to me and the relationship so complicated that I was willing to look past it. And again, the author put the effort in to build this tense atmosphere around an impossible situation that can’t be explained away.
You will get Cosmic horror, fungal horror, and body horror in this book in addition to the cult stuff. There’s interesting rhetoric around the color yellow, art and even mathematics and geometric shapes.
My only issue really was that Kate’s feelings towards Thomas seemed very inconsistent. She waffled between seeing him as a horrible, abusive person and suddenly claiming that there must be good in him somewhere. Which is it? It made her character confusing. That’s why I gave the book a 4.5 instead of a perfect 5. This author seems very skilled, though, so there may be something I missed, like a strategy behind some of Kate’s behavior in the interview sections. I may revisit the book at some point with a second read.
Highly recommend this for horror fans and readers who like weird stories. It was one of my favorite books of the year! I’m going to seek out more of Amor’s work right away.
TW: Animal harm, domestic abuse, depression, miscarriage
April 24, 2023
Y’all, this book was incredible. Read this spooky fucking novel if you love:
✔️CULTS
✔️ FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR
✔️ GORE
✔️ ART
✔️ HOUSE OF LEAVES
✔️ MIXED MEDIA STYLE WRITING
When I opened this bad boy up, I knew I was going to love it; it’s basically my perfect book. Mixed media is my favorite style of writing. This story is told through diary entries, newspaper articles, audio recording transcripts, and it even includes foot notes which reminded me a lot of house of leaves (don’t worry though, this one isn’t difficult to read.)
Not only that, but one of the major plots of this book is centered around a cult, and who doesn’t love reading about those?
Fair warning though: this is gross and gory and fucked up in the best way; we get a look at domestic abuse and how that slowly impacts a person over time. It’s a love story in a way, and one that I highly recommend you pick up. Gemma is absolutely brilliant, and the whole time that I was reading this I was thinking about how much time this must have taken to do research on the art knowledge aspect of this, or maybe she already knew most of these facts, as she is an artist herself! (I mean check out that kick ass book cover!)
I will never associate the color yellow with anything else except for this book as long as I live.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
✔️CULTS
✔️ FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR
✔️ GORE
✔️ ART
✔️ HOUSE OF LEAVES
✔️ MIXED MEDIA STYLE WRITING
When I opened this bad boy up, I knew I was going to love it; it’s basically my perfect book. Mixed media is my favorite style of writing. This story is told through diary entries, newspaper articles, audio recording transcripts, and it even includes foot notes which reminded me a lot of house of leaves (don’t worry though, this one isn’t difficult to read.)
Not only that, but one of the major plots of this book is centered around a cult, and who doesn’t love reading about those?
Fair warning though: this is gross and gory and fucked up in the best way; we get a look at domestic abuse and how that slowly impacts a person over time. It’s a love story in a way, and one that I highly recommend you pick up. Gemma is absolutely brilliant, and the whole time that I was reading this I was thinking about how much time this must have taken to do research on the art knowledge aspect of this, or maybe she already knew most of these facts, as she is an artist herself! (I mean check out that kick ass book cover!)
I will never associate the color yellow with anything else except for this book as long as I live.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
January 21, 2024
I was so excited to read a book about cults. I love cults. Not that I want to be in one but the ideology of it is just so fascinating.
This book would have gotten a higher rating from me if there were less sexual stuff in it. Yes it somehow fits the story but some of it was just not necessary. Thank god (Thomas, hihi) that it was a woman who wrote it or else I would’ve dnf’d it.
Overall, interesting book with a very unique storyline. Wish we had gotten to know more about the inner working of this new god and how it all happened but I guess we can’t get everything we want.
This book would have gotten a higher rating from me if there were less sexual stuff in it. Yes it somehow fits the story but some of it was just not necessary. Thank god (Thomas, hihi) that it was a woman who wrote it or else I would’ve dnf’d it.
Overall, interesting book with a very unique storyline. Wish we had gotten to know more about the inner working of this new god and how it all happened but I guess we can’t get everything we want.
March 13, 2023
Book Review📚📚👻🎃
The Once Yellow House by Gemma Amor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( I HAVE TO FIND A PHYSICAL COPY IMMEDIATELY!!!)📖
( This would also be great for The Week of Weird Readathon also)
This book was so weird in a great way.
We follow Kate as she sets out to interview Hope about the events that led to such tragedy at her house. Hope, and Thomas owned a property called The Once Yellow House. It is believed that Tom was a cult leader of sorts. Eventually there was a mass catastrophe where a lot of people perished. Kate is now interviewing Hope about what happened.
If you like mixed media formats, books about cults, and books that are just simply strange and entertaining I highly suggest you pick this one up.
I realize this will not be for everyone, but I really think many of you will enjoy this so much. I love the way Gemma lays out the story, and you really see from the beginning how much Hope was affected by everything. You really feel for her. It got me the way she seemed to explain how love defies all obstacles, and the lengths you will go to, and the sacrifices you are willing to make.
This is available right now on Kindle Unlimited
The Once Yellow House by Gemma Amor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( I HAVE TO FIND A PHYSICAL COPY IMMEDIATELY!!!)📖
( This would also be great for The Week of Weird Readathon also)
This book was so weird in a great way.
We follow Kate as she sets out to interview Hope about the events that led to such tragedy at her house. Hope, and Thomas owned a property called The Once Yellow House. It is believed that Tom was a cult leader of sorts. Eventually there was a mass catastrophe where a lot of people perished. Kate is now interviewing Hope about what happened.
If you like mixed media formats, books about cults, and books that are just simply strange and entertaining I highly suggest you pick this one up.
I realize this will not be for everyone, but I really think many of you will enjoy this so much. I love the way Gemma lays out the story, and you really see from the beginning how much Hope was affected by everything. You really feel for her. It got me the way she seemed to explain how love defies all obstacles, and the lengths you will go to, and the sacrifices you are willing to make.
This is available right now on Kindle Unlimited
November 18, 2023
I just finished this wonderous book, and I'm still buzzing, so I'm not going to write a review right now. But let me tell you, this book is fucking fantastic. I love Gemma Amor. She's great.
March 1, 2026
4.25 stars - hidden gem
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThnpubnf/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZThnpubnf/
January 2, 2024
Irritating horror novel based around an interview with, and a diary from, the wife of a supernatural cult leader. Tension is totally deflated by the structure (everything supernatural is revealed in the first chapter); none of the epistolary elements are believable (the wife states "oh I'm not good with words" towards the end of the novel, despite having written endlessly verbose diary entries for most of it which are basically just first person novel narratives with occasional "THIS BRINGS TO MIND A PAINTING" lectures); the novel throws ideas and images out but fails to develop them effectively. I think there's the potential for an interesting novel about horror and art; I KNOW there are excellent novels about malignant houses (The Shining, anyone...). Instead, this one came across as silly - from jarring British place names (Gloucester? Lestershire clearly being Leicestershire spelt for Americans?), to all the mould imagery that goes nowhere beyond a basic relationship correlation theme, to the theoretically horrifying but more amusing scene towards the end with ...
Not one for me, alas.
Not one for me, alas.
May 12, 2023
This is my second read by Gemma Amor, the first being last year's Full Immersion. I found the two books to be somewhat similar, namely in characters dealing with deep existential grief and trauma. However, while Full Immersion is quite long and gives much more time to explore those themes, it all feels quite rushed and under-baked in the 200ish pages of The Once Yellow House.
The Once Yellow House is an epistolary novel, primarily told through two means. One is the transcription of audio from a recording done by the second main character Kate as she finds and interviews the main character, Hope. Those are broken up by journal entries from Hope two years prior, but also serve as Hope's point of view that is then reacted to in the audio transcriptions. The setup of the format is that Kate is a survivor of the mass death event of a cult who wants to understand more about the cult from the wife of its leader, who is the only other known survivor. That's all set up in the first couple chapters so I wouldn't consider it a spoiler. Kate is sending her audio files to the editor of Cemetery Gates Media. A little meta but I liked that. There are a couple other random epistolary chapters thrown in, which are letters to the editor of the local newspaper complaining about or defending the cult.
My own bias here is that I'm not often excited about epistolary novels. I was able to get lost in Hope's journal chapters because they mostly read like traditional prose, and they took place during the actual events of the cult's quite fast formation and downfall. I didn't like that it seemed to skip so much about about what led to the cult's rise, and there was little insight into what the cult members were feeling and thinking, with the exception of Kate's dialogue in the audio transcriptions. This all made me feel little emotional connection to or empathy for any of those characters, so their downfall wasn't impactful in any way.
I think this would be an excellent story rewritten as traditional prose or if more points of view from characters within the cult were provided. The cult formed via social media groups, so posts from the groups would have really added to the story and fit with the modern epistolary style the author used. With that and some spelling/grammatical/editing issues throughout, I feel the end product was rushed. And yet, I'm glad I read it. I liked where the author was going with it. I liked that she didn't feel the need to explain the cosmic elements. The cosmic horror elements that were in this book were fantastic. The elements with mold were most terrifying to me and in those parts I felt the stress and paranoia of Hope and really enjoyed those. A film or audio-drama adaptation of this book could be fantastic with some small changes or additions to help support the narrative.
I give this book 3.5 moldy walls out of five, rounded up to 4 since I think there is a lot to enjoy here. For fans of cult, cosmic, and fungal horror and those who enjoy or are looking to try out modern epistolary narratives.
The Once Yellow House is an epistolary novel, primarily told through two means. One is the transcription of audio from a recording done by the second main character Kate as she finds and interviews the main character, Hope. Those are broken up by journal entries from Hope two years prior, but also serve as Hope's point of view that is then reacted to in the audio transcriptions. The setup of the format is that Kate is a survivor of the mass death event of a cult who wants to understand more about the cult from the wife of its leader, who is the only other known survivor. That's all set up in the first couple chapters so I wouldn't consider it a spoiler. Kate is sending her audio files to the editor of Cemetery Gates Media. A little meta but I liked that. There are a couple other random epistolary chapters thrown in, which are letters to the editor of the local newspaper complaining about or defending the cult.
My own bias here is that I'm not often excited about epistolary novels. I was able to get lost in Hope's journal chapters because they mostly read like traditional prose, and they took place during the actual events of the cult's quite fast formation and downfall. I didn't like that it seemed to skip so much about about what led to the cult's rise, and there was little insight into what the cult members were feeling and thinking, with the exception of Kate's dialogue in the audio transcriptions. This all made me feel little emotional connection to or empathy for any of those characters, so their downfall wasn't impactful in any way.
I think this would be an excellent story rewritten as traditional prose or if more points of view from characters within the cult were provided. The cult formed via social media groups, so posts from the groups would have really added to the story and fit with the modern epistolary style the author used. With that and some spelling/grammatical/editing issues throughout, I feel the end product was rushed. And yet, I'm glad I read it. I liked where the author was going with it. I liked that she didn't feel the need to explain the cosmic elements. The cosmic horror elements that were in this book were fantastic. The elements with mold were most terrifying to me and in those parts I felt the stress and paranoia of Hope and really enjoyed those. A film or audio-drama adaptation of this book could be fantastic with some small changes or additions to help support the narrative.
I give this book 3.5 moldy walls out of five, rounded up to 4 since I think there is a lot to enjoy here. For fans of cult, cosmic, and fungal horror and those who enjoy or are looking to try out modern epistolary narratives.
January 3, 2025
Although I enjoy the novel to finish it quite rapidly I don't think this was a stellar splendour that everyone here is saying. First of all, what is this about? This tale is told in dozens of chapters and each chapter is either a transcription from audio or diary entries. There are some other means but mainly those. On this tale we follow Kate as she is trying to uncover what truly transcribed in the Yellow House where more than three hundred people died all part of a cult called "Retinue" that follow The Great God Thomas. She is trying to find Hope, the wife of Thomas and one of the sole survivor. As the story progress we get to know more of Hope life and Kate as well.
I expected horror , lovecraftian stuff but I didn't get that much. Yes Thomas is weird and such but not the point of making me feel anything. In the end, I felt that this book was more about domestic/emotional violence than anything else.
I believe this book could have been novella length and still be good, probably even better but I am not a writer\editor so what the heck do I know... I can only comment on what made me feel and think.
Overall, an OK story. Not going to be on my top 10 of the year, unless I Have a crappy year. I would rate this 68/100 or 3.5 Stars.
Side note 1: Probably the author wanted to talk about what she thinks of artists and their art and religion as we get a lot of references for several artists and points of view - interestingly but overall felt a bit flat.
Side Note 2: There are some hints that really make me cringe like when she is trying to get away from him and the uber driver didn't felt odd that the run was cancel by him and she says to Kate "Man stick together". What a fuck is this? Are you telling the average Joe would just sit? That's not Joe my dear Amor, it's people in general who don't want to be caught in other people drama. Or do you think woman would behave any differently?
There is another situation like this which is a bit on the cringe side of men are bad, inherently besides Thomas there isn't any other man in the story (relevant or named) and the other person that tries to help her\confort her is one of the other Thomas personas which is also a man. So, if she does not thing that all man are crap why say stuff like that above?
I expected horror , lovecraftian stuff but I didn't get that much. Yes Thomas is weird and such but not the point of making me feel anything. In the end, I felt that this book was more about domestic/emotional violence than anything else.
I believe this book could have been novella length and still be good, probably even better but I am not a writer\editor so what the heck do I know... I can only comment on what made me feel and think.
Overall, an OK story. Not going to be on my top 10 of the year, unless I Have a crappy year. I would rate this 68/100 or 3.5 Stars.
Side note 1: Probably the author wanted to talk about what she thinks of artists and their art and religion as we get a lot of references for several artists and points of view - interestingly but overall felt a bit flat.
Side Note 2: There are some hints that really make me cringe like when she is trying to get away from him and the uber driver didn't felt odd that the run was cancel by him and she says to Kate "Man stick together". What a fuck is this? Are you telling the average Joe would just sit? That's not Joe my dear Amor, it's people in general who don't want to be caught in other people drama. Or do you think woman would behave any differently?
There is another situation like this which is a bit on the cringe side of men are bad, inherently besides Thomas there isn't any other man in the story (relevant or named) and the other person that tries to help her\confort her is one of the other Thomas personas which is also a man. So, if she does not thing that all man are crap why say stuff like that above?
September 3, 2024
This is a completely unique, completely compelling take on a cult / true crime tell-all, start to finish. It's weird - very weird - but I couldn't put it down, and the entirety of the story lands with a really weighty, satisfying thunk. The viewfinder here is super, super narrow, but I personally didn't feel anything was missing; it's all very intentional and I got the strong sense that what's included - what we end up reading - is what was meant to be shared. No more, no less.
Written in epistolary format, The Once Yellow House contains a collection of documents pertaining to a fictional massacre that took place in November of 2020 at the site of the Retinue cult occupation. Our primary storyteller is Hope, the wife of the Retinue's deceased leader, Thomas. We get to read her diary entries documenting the formation and destruction of the cult, as well as audio transcripts of her interview with a surviving ex-member.
There's a lot of horror packed in. Body horror, cosmic horror, domestic horror, religious cult horror, fungal horror... the list goes on. I absolutely loved the way art, art analysis and art history is woven into the story, and the straightforward presentation of fantasy/supernatural elements. This book really goes hardcore in a way that I haven't encountered in awhile... Gemma Amor is REALLY, REALLY, unbelievably talented.
I docked a star because maybe it got a little cute with itself every now and then. But I'm deadly serious: do not sleep on this. It's incredible and cutthroat and refreshing and fierce. I'll be thinking about it for days and weeks and years to come.
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Written in epistolary format, The Once Yellow House contains a collection of documents pertaining to a fictional massacre that took place in November of 2020 at the site of the Retinue cult occupation. Our primary storyteller is Hope, the wife of the Retinue's deceased leader, Thomas. We get to read her diary entries documenting the formation and destruction of the cult, as well as audio transcripts of her interview with a surviving ex-member.
There's a lot of horror packed in. Body horror, cosmic horror, domestic horror, religious cult horror, fungal horror... the list goes on. I absolutely loved the way art, art analysis and art history is woven into the story, and the straightforward presentation of fantasy/supernatural elements. This book really goes hardcore in a way that I haven't encountered in awhile... Gemma Amor is REALLY, REALLY, unbelievably talented.
I docked a star because maybe it got a little cute with itself every now and then. But I'm deadly serious: do not sleep on this. It's incredible and cutthroat and refreshing and fierce. I'll be thinking about it for days and weeks and years to come.
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February 6, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded down for the story being a touch too long.
This is.. I don't know. I'm not even sure I enjoyed reading this book, but when I considered dnf'ing it I knew I didn't want to do that.
This is the story of Kate, a former cult member. Thomas, also known as The Great God Thomas. And Hope, who was Thomas' wife. The story is transcripts of conversation between Hope and Kate, along with Hope's diary entries, as well as the occasional scrap of newspaper article of sketch. The story takes us through what happened that resulted in the deaths of over 300 of 'The Retinue', Thomas's cult.
It's an interesting premise and I like the kind of mixed media/found footage feel, but something just didn't vibe with me. While I wouldn't call this book "extreme horror", it does suffer from what turns me off from extreme horror and that is.. it feels kinda fetish-y? Like there are some weird sex moments and.. a lot of them for a 200 page story about the death of hundreds while also exploring themes of love and toxic marriage and cosmic horror. It was really distracting and felt like it was just there for shock value.
I honestly don't know what to make of this. I liked Dear Laura, also by the author, and it made me want to check out her other stuff.
This is.. I don't know. I'm not even sure I enjoyed reading this book, but when I considered dnf'ing it I knew I didn't want to do that.
This is the story of Kate, a former cult member. Thomas, also known as The Great God Thomas. And Hope, who was Thomas' wife. The story is transcripts of conversation between Hope and Kate, along with Hope's diary entries, as well as the occasional scrap of newspaper article of sketch. The story takes us through what happened that resulted in the deaths of over 300 of 'The Retinue', Thomas's cult.
It's an interesting premise and I like the kind of mixed media/found footage feel, but something just didn't vibe with me. While I wouldn't call this book "extreme horror", it does suffer from what turns me off from extreme horror and that is.. it feels kinda fetish-y? Like there are some weird sex moments and.. a lot of them for a 200 page story about the death of hundreds while also exploring themes of love and toxic marriage and cosmic horror. It was really distracting and felt like it was just there for shock value.
I honestly don't know what to make of this. I liked Dear Laura, also by the author, and it made me want to check out her other stuff.
August 22, 2023
Kate was a member of a cult called the Retinue, and one of two survivors of the massacre that killed nearly four hundred people. She is determined to find Hope, the wife of the cult leader.
This is an epistolary horror story. The bulk of the story is excerpts and art from Hope's diary, and transcripts from an interview. A few other documents, mostly newspaper articles, are sprinkled in, which is the problem I have with this book. When I hear epistolary, I expect plenty of documents, papers, letters etc.
At the very least, I wanted police and autopsy reports, or better yet, transcriptions of calls to the dispatcher on the day of the massacre. It would have been a great way to ground the story in reality.
With that said, it was a solid four star read. It was compelling, and I couldn't stop reading. There were a lot of surprises, and the best ones were about Kate and Hope. All the weirdness, and chaos was very cool, but the two women, and their secrets, made the story.
There was also some pretty interesting things about cults, abuse, love and much more - so much packed into this short book.
This is an epistolary horror story. The bulk of the story is excerpts and art from Hope's diary, and transcripts from an interview. A few other documents, mostly newspaper articles, are sprinkled in, which is the problem I have with this book. When I hear epistolary, I expect plenty of documents, papers, letters etc.
At the very least, I wanted police and autopsy reports, or better yet, transcriptions of calls to the dispatcher on the day of the massacre. It would have been a great way to ground the story in reality.
With that said, it was a solid four star read. It was compelling, and I couldn't stop reading. There were a lot of surprises, and the best ones were about Kate and Hope. All the weirdness, and chaos was very cool, but the two women, and their secrets, made the story.
There was also some pretty interesting things about cults, abuse, love and much more - so much packed into this short book.
April 30, 2023
My first Gemma Amor and now I need all Amor's books! THE ONCE YELLOW HOUSE, told in epistolary style through mainly Hope's journal entries and transcripts from a recorded interview between her and Kate, tells a tale of madness. It chronicles how Hope's husband, Thomas, bought the house on the sly, and how everything devolved beyond anyone's control.
First off, the house was in piss poor condition to start, the exterior horrible, but the inside worse with its mold--yellow mold. Hope was sure it talked to them, manipulating them.
Then the accident in the house happened and Hope learns Thomas has been keeping something seemingly vastly insane--he's a God!-- from her. What's worse is he actually has followers. They wear yellow tunics and think they know better for Thomas than Hope.
If you like books about sinister cults, this is for you. This is highly original and thought-provoking.
First off, the house was in piss poor condition to start, the exterior horrible, but the inside worse with its mold--yellow mold. Hope was sure it talked to them, manipulating them.
Then the accident in the house happened and Hope learns Thomas has been keeping something seemingly vastly insane--he's a God!-- from her. What's worse is he actually has followers. They wear yellow tunics and think they know better for Thomas than Hope.
If you like books about sinister cults, this is for you. This is highly original and thought-provoking.
June 24, 2023
Horrifying
This is possibly one of the most disturbing things I've ever read, mainly because, though it's fiction, it reads, frighteningly, like something that could happen. We've all seen Jonestown and Waco, run by men who thought they were God. This book shows what might have happened if one of them had actually been one.
I think what really helped make it real were the letters to the editor: one describing how horrible things look, and the one written by someone who writes about, really, how they imagine it looks, how they wish the people acted. They saw the facade and thought it was real.
A warning: this gets brought up in the beginning of the book, but there are pretty vivid, realistic descriptions of abuse, especially the mental and emotional kinds. If you've gone through it yourself, beware, it will probably trigger some memories. I think, really, that it's the most horrifying part of it all.
This is possibly one of the most disturbing things I've ever read, mainly because, though it's fiction, it reads, frighteningly, like something that could happen. We've all seen Jonestown and Waco, run by men who thought they were God. This book shows what might have happened if one of them had actually been one.
I think what really helped make it real were the letters to the editor: one describing how horrible things look, and the one written by someone who writes about, really, how they imagine it looks, how they wish the people acted. They saw the facade and thought it was real.
A warning: this gets brought up in the beginning of the book, but there are pretty vivid, realistic descriptions of abuse, especially the mental and emotional kinds. If you've gone through it yourself, beware, it will probably trigger some memories. I think, really, that it's the most horrifying part of it all.
October 10, 2023
Mixed feelings on this - several distinct events going on in this novel rendered in epistolary fashion: 1) the disintegration of the relationship of the main character's (Hope Gloucester) marriage and possibly her mental state; 2) the cult that her husband creates; 3) the cosmic horror of her husband becoming... Something - that is worshipped by the cultists and the events that lead to what is called 'The Yellow Massacre' -- well, I guess there's a 4) as well - a survivor of the Massacre tracking Hope down and getting the whole story.
Well written - there's more than a nod to 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and 'The King In Yellow' as well as references to Art & Math and how they intertwine through the story that is pretty intriguing and is more than enough to recommend this to others.
But to me, the cosmic horror events seem to be 'gilding the lily'; again, that's just my personal reaction.
Well written - there's more than a nod to 'The Yellow Wallpaper' and 'The King In Yellow' as well as references to Art & Math and how they intertwine through the story that is pretty intriguing and is more than enough to recommend this to others.
But to me, the cosmic horror events seem to be 'gilding the lily'; again, that's just my personal reaction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2026
Another author I'm finally checking more work from !
After 'Dear Laura', Gemma Amor has been on my radar for years.
This story is indescribable; all told through diary entries and recordings, it recounters the strange events that happened at the Once Yellow House.
Best to jump in as blind as possible, and just enjoy the ride.
An utterly unbelievable story somehow made believable.
Trust me.(I'm a professional.)
Love Gemma Amor's writing :
After 'Dear Laura', Gemma Amor has been on my radar for years.
This story is indescribable; all told through diary entries and recordings, it recounters the strange events that happened at the Once Yellow House.
Best to jump in as blind as possible, and just enjoy the ride.
An utterly unbelievable story somehow made believable.
Trust me.
Love Gemma Amor's writing :
And I know we are all born purposeless, without any destiny within ourselves beyond the living and the fucking and the dying, as Hope would put it, but I think if we were to step outside of that, and find ourselves a purpose, it might be to hang our hats upon a coat peg called love, it might be to find whatever capacity it is within ourselves to feel all the things with all the versions of us there are, all the versions of our lovers.
March 19, 2026
The Once Yellow House is an epistolary story told through a collection of diary entries, emails, and a tape recorded conversation. All information was gathered in an effort to assemble a narrative from Once Yellow Kate who just wants answers after the Yellow Massacre. While her motivations aren’t clear at first, her efforts tell the reader that something is up with Hope, the widow of the would-be cult leader, Thomas.
This story was a lot of fun to digest because I went in mostly blind and was rewarded greatly for it. This book was existential with flashes of philosophy, mystery, and an unhealthy knowledge of the color yellow.
This one has no business being as sexy as it presented at times, but it gave the characters dimension while pushing the plot. I really enjoyed this book and I’m surprised that it isn’t talked about more. I’ll be checking out more of Gemma’s work after this.
This story was a lot of fun to digest because I went in mostly blind and was rewarded greatly for it. This book was existential with flashes of philosophy, mystery, and an unhealthy knowledge of the color yellow.
This one has no business being as sexy as it presented at times, but it gave the characters dimension while pushing the plot. I really enjoyed this book and I’m surprised that it isn’t talked about more. I’ll be checking out more of Gemma’s work after this.
July 17, 2023
4.5 stars.
I don't know what I was expecting from this; it was certainly more existential and philosphical then the stuff I normally read, but it was GORGEOUS. Really beautifully written, really really really gross, and super creepy. Ultimately it was one of those stories where I was left wanting more! I admired it's exploration of domestic abuse and cults, it was very thought-provoking. This is the second Gemma Amor book I've read and I'm sure it won't be the last.
I don't know what I was expecting from this; it was certainly more existential and philosphical then the stuff I normally read, but it was GORGEOUS. Really beautifully written, really really really gross, and super creepy. Ultimately it was one of those stories where I was left wanting more! I admired it's exploration of domestic abuse and cults, it was very thought-provoking. This is the second Gemma Amor book I've read and I'm sure it won't be the last.
May 24, 2024
Some interesting themes explored here, wrapped up in some great psychological and body horror, told by two unreliable narrators through diary entries and audio transcripts.
However parts of it gets lost in areas by the lecture-y nature it sometimes takes when talking about art. The footnotes would contribute to breaking the story by giving massive info dumps and not really contributing anything extra to the story.
I enjoyed the ride here, the execution just left a lot to be desired for me
However parts of it gets lost in areas by the lecture-y nature it sometimes takes when talking about art. The footnotes would contribute to breaking the story by giving massive info dumps and not really contributing anything extra to the story.
I enjoyed the ride here, the execution just left a lot to be desired for me
June 5, 2024
I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but it was executed brilliantly. I’ve only read one other title by Gemma Amor which I also gave a high rating. Going to fly through all her work this year! Highly recommend this. Written beautifully, so different in its prose, and she managed to portray every theme perfectly without being overbearing
March 26, 2023
This book takes off from the first page. It's done from the standpoint of a journal and audio interview notes, which gives it a creepy found footage vibe.
It's a cult with a cosmic horror feel.
I loved it.
It's a cult with a cosmic horror feel.
I loved it.
June 6, 2023
Another masterpiece by one of the best horror writers out there today.
Pick this book up if you like…
-Cosmic Horror
-Cults
-Found Footage
-believable and realistic characters
-body horror
I highly recommend this book
Pick this book up if you like…
-Cosmic Horror
-Cults
-Found Footage
-believable and realistic characters
-body horror
I highly recommend this book
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