I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman Published by Del Rey on June 25 2024
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A top notch horror story that touches on some tough themes, Incidents Around the House is a scary, emotional and uniquely told tale.
“How long do you think we’d have to go without an incident for us to feel back to normal?”
This is my first Josh Malerman book, and I have to say it was a great one to start with. Incidents Around the House is an extremely unsettling possession story, made more unusual because it’s narrated by an eight-year-old girl named Bela, the focus of the demon. It’s also much more than just a story about a possession, and this extra layer—Bela’s parents’ fracturing marriage—adds so much depth and emotion to the tale. It’s also very scary, and I have to commend the author for being able to convey terror without any extraneous descriptions. Bela tells the entire story, so her narrative, along with dialog from the other characters, drives everything.
The plot is fairly simple. Bela has a “friend” she calls Other Mommy, an entity who lives in her closet and comes out at night to talk to her. Other Mommy is nice at first, but it always asks Bela a question that makes her uncomfortable: “Can I go into your heart?” Bela always says no, because Other Mommy explains that letting her in means they will switch places: Other Mommy will be inside Bela, and Bela will go somewhere else. Lately, though, Other Mommy has been popping up in other places, even outside the house, like when Bela and Mommy go to the park. Bela is getting scared, and one day when Mommy actually sees Other Mommy, her parents realize that something is terribly wrong and they need to figure out how to get rid of it.
As the family tries to formulate a plan, the cracks in Mommy and Daddo’s marriage begin to show, and the tension mounts until the reader feels like screaming. Having Bela narrate the story was a great choice, because she’s so innocent, and yet she understands on some level exactly what is happening between Mommy and Daddo. It’s chilling how astute an eight-year-old can be, and yes, I realize it’s an adult man who wrote the story, but I believed I was experiencing it through a child’s point of view. There are so many uncomfortable and heartbreaking moments between the characters, and I was amazed at Malerman’s ability to convey these emotions so well, considering how the story is formatted.
We only get glimpses of Other Mommy’s appearance, but these were enough to give me goosebumps—seriously, sometimes less is more! This is a story filled with uncertainties. The adults are blindsided by the appearance of Other Mommy and literally don’t know what to do about it. All they know is that this entity is threatening Bela, so they must figure it out. If you’re looking for a feel-good story, or at least a story with feel-good moments, I suggest finding something else to read. Incidents Around the House will make you uncomfortable, and that’s one thing all good horror has in common. Malerman takes some risks with this story and it made me appreciate his writing skills even more.
I think the ending will be controversial for some readers, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it, but ultimately I believe the author made the right choice. Incidents Around the House is a must read for horror fans and will give readers plenty to think about.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. Above quote was taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book.
You’re right, sometimes less or more when it comes to descriptions in horror, and it sounds like that worked really well here.
I’ve not read anything yet by this author but I did watch Birdbox and enjoyed that so definitely an author for me to read I think.
Great review 😀
Pages and Tea recently posted…The Mid-Year Freak Out Book Tag: 2024 Edition
I haven’t read or seen Birdbox, I really should!
Sounds like Maleman did a great job with this one. I’ve seen several people mention how well the tale was told from a kid’s POV. I’m looking forward to this one as well.
It was such a unique way to tell a story, I loved it.
Oh this sounds so creepy.
It was super creepy…
This sounds amazing! I’ve read a few of his books, and I know he excels at creating terrifying scenarios. I hadn’t requested an ARC for this one, but I’m going to have to track it down at the library. Great review!
Thanks Lisa! I’m curious to compare it to his other books now.
WOW! Color me very, very intrigued! I’ve seen Malerman mentioned here and there but I never read any of his books: this one sounds like the perfect spine-chiller to lose oneself into, and I like what you said about the author being able to convey the voice of a child so successfully. One more for the TBR! 😉
Thanks for sharing.
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE TAINTED CUP (Shadow of the Leviathan #1), by Robert Jackson Bennett
I’m glad I finally read one of his books, he’s such a good writer and the hype is well deserved:-)
That sounds creepy and amazing? I am glad you loved it Tammy!
It was, thanks Sophie!
Fantastic review! I can’t wait to read this!
Thanks Lauren!
This sounds so good! I’m very curious about the ending. This is going to be a July add-on for Book of the Month, so I may have to grab it.
Ooh definitely grab it!
Other Mommy is such a horrifying idea, but one that is perfect for this sort of story. Very glad it worked so well for you. I’ve said this several times lately, but feels like a movie in the works. 🙂
I’ve no doubt this will be a movie at some point:-)
I’ve seen several people raving about how good this book is. Even though I don’t reach much horror, I’m very intrigued by your description of how he conveys the sense of horror without too much description. I like the idea of letting my imagination basically fill in the gaps.
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If that creepy cover already didn’t freak me out then it being narrated by a an eight-year-old girl who’s the focus of a demon that she calls Other Mommy. That’s just a big nope for me but also makes me want to read it. Make it make sense. And that “Can I go into your heart?” also freaking creepy! The ending being controversial is just making me more intriguing to read it because I want to know. Great review, Tammy!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
I shall have to pick up a copy of this. Sounds so good.
Lynn 😀
Ooh, this sounds really good! I’ll definitely have to look into it when I’m in the mood for a good horror book. Great review!
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