grip-lit en · NOUN
Etymology
Coined by Irish author Marian Keyes in a now deleted tweet published on January 31, 2015.
Meanings
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(uncommon, uncountable) A subgenre of psychological thriller novels that combine elements of gripping suspense with elements of domestic or psychological drama.
Data shows that it might remain a popular activity in 2016 too, and that, like grip-lit, it might even be here to stay.
2016 January 29, Sophie Hannah, “Grip-lit? Psychological thrillers were around long before Gone Girl”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2024:Scotland-based YA author Cat Clarke's sixth novel, Girlhood, ticks many of the boxes we expect to encounter in the "grip-lit" genre: a female protagonist, a dark past, and someone close to the narrator that we're not sure they should trust (and can we even trust the narrator in the first place?).
2017 August 29, Claire Hennessy, “Girl in a boarding school: YA meets grip-lit”, in The Irish Times, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2024:The result is a ferociously addictive, troubling, seductive read whose title, Thus Bad Begins, fits right into the literary world’s latest trending category, Grip Lit.
2016 February 21, Emma Townshend, “Javier Marías, Thus Bad Begins: 'In the grip of a secret vice', book review”, in The Independent, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2024: