Incidents Around the House: A Novel
"Simply put--and I do not say this lightly--Incidents Around the House is the most purely effective horror novel I have ever read."--Neil McRobert, Esquire (Best Horror Books of 2024, So Far)
A chilling horror novel about a haunting, told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls "Other Mommy," from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box "This book is the monster that lives inside your closet."--Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There's Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: "Can I go inside your heart?" When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. But Other Mommy needs an answer. Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror about a family as haunted as their home.
A chilling horror novel about a haunting, told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls "Other Mommy," from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box "This book is the monster that lives inside your closet."--Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There's Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: "Can I go inside your heart?" When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay. Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. But Other Mommy needs an answer. Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror about a family as haunted as their home.
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Community Reviews
One of the best and most effective true horror novels I’ve read in a long time. The family drama is almost as scary as the big bad and when they combine, what’s left if horrifying. It takes a good book to make me turn the light on when I have to go pee late at night, but this book did just that. Highly recommend.
I wanted to like this so bad. There was so much hype around this and some people saying it was the horror book of the year.
Pros:
-There were some descriptions of other mommy that I really enjoyed.
- I think this would make a really scary movie concept. I do hope that the mainstream success of the book results in a movie.
Cons:
- Bela is 8 years old- you could have fooled me the way that this was written. I know 8 years old is still a kid but Bela seemed to be written as a 4-year-old. This was one of the biggest annoyances I have.
- I didn't find this scary at all. Maybe because I read a lot of horror but I just don't get it.
- I do like that it didn't end on a high. But so much more could have been done with the ending.
- I could not stand the mother's character. I liked other mommy better too- I get you Bela.
- The audiobook version could very well be why I didn't find this scary at all. However, I did read the first couple chapters on my Kindle and the lack of quotation marks drove me crazy.
Overall I think it was a good story and I do hope they make a movie out of it. The book just didn't do it for me.
Pros:
-There were some descriptions of other mommy that I really enjoyed.
- I think this would make a really scary movie concept. I do hope that the mainstream success of the book results in a movie.
Cons:
- Bela is 8 years old- you could have fooled me the way that this was written. I know 8 years old is still a kid but Bela seemed to be written as a 4-year-old. This was one of the biggest annoyances I have.
- I didn't find this scary at all. Maybe because I read a lot of horror but I just don't get it.
- I do like that it didn't end on a high. But so much more could have been done with the ending.
- I could not stand the mother's character. I liked other mommy better too- I get you Bela.
- The audiobook version could very well be why I didn't find this scary at all. However, I did read the first couple chapters on my Kindle and the lack of quotation marks drove me crazy.
Overall I think it was a good story and I do hope they make a movie out of it. The book just didn't do it for me.
Was a good book overall. Trying to figure out who other mommy was kept me on the edge of my seat. I did enjoy how it was told in an 8 year old perspective. That was unique. The only thing I didn't like was how they just kept running, and the story really didn't go anywhere else.
INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE is the latest horror novel from Josh Malerman (Birdbox).
We follow Bela and her mom and dad as they try to figure out what kind of entity is after Bela. In that aspect, it has a very Poltergeist feel, but Malerman, as he always does, makes that old story his own. Malerman's form of storytelling is very unique to him, like a series of scratches that, page by page, work their way beneath your skin.
While this is a(n attempted) possession/haunting story of sorts, it's also the story of an imperfect couple and the secrets they keep. I thought the parents, along with the grandmother, were very well done. And "Other Monther" was creepy when she needed to be.
I would have liked the horror to have been ratcheted up a little more, but it's a good book as is. It was a really easy and fast read.
I give INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE 4 shining, poltergeisty stars!!!!
We follow Bela and her mom and dad as they try to figure out what kind of entity is after Bela. In that aspect, it has a very Poltergeist feel, but Malerman, as he always does, makes that old story his own. Malerman's form of storytelling is very unique to him, like a series of scratches that, page by page, work their way beneath your skin.
While this is a(n attempted) possession/haunting story of sorts, it's also the story of an imperfect couple and the secrets they keep. I thought the parents, along with the grandmother, were very well done. And "Other Monther" was creepy when she needed to be.
I would have liked the horror to have been ratcheted up a little more, but it's a good book as is. It was a really easy and fast read.
I give INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE 4 shining, poltergeisty stars!!!!
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