Published by Del Rey, Random House - Ballantine Genres: Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural
Format: ARC, eBook
WOWZA! Josh Malerman has a horror masterpiece on his hands with Incidents Around the House! I was fully invested, sitting on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, and wanting more, more, more!
Eight-year-old Bela lives with Mommy and Daddo Russ until one day when ‘Other Mommy’ comes out of her closet and to spend time with Bela. At first Bela believes that she and ‘Other Mommy’ are friends but when ‘Other Mommy’ keeps asking her “Can I go inside your heart?” , Bela gets uncomfortable.
During a party that Daddo and Mommy are having, ‘Other Mommy’ makes an appearance, and things kick into high gear. This book oozes tension and dread. As Bela narrates, it becomes evident that things between Bela’s parents are strained and don’t get me started on their adult conversations and the way they each use Bela as their sounding board/confidant.
As the family tries to find a solution to their “Other Mommy’ issue, the book gets creepier, more chilling, spookier, and more tense! The characters fear and anxiety jump off the pages. Bela is the narrator of Incidents Around the House, and readers get information from a child’s perspective. I thought this was a fantastic idea. I remember looking under my bed and in my closet as a child to make sure nothing was lurking there. I felt for Bela as her closet door opened and her anxiety mounted.
As I mentioned, I felt for Bela the entire book but there were times I really felt for her as she heard discussions that certain adults in her life had in her presence. I did like her relationship with Daddo and her grandmother.
This is another book that I can see being made into a movie. Malerman wowed and terrified me with Bird Box and has once again delivered an eerie, chilling, creepy, unsettling, and pulse pounding read!
Atmospheric, creepy, chilling, and wonderfully horrific.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine | Del Rey and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.