Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Synopsis: 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
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 same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must 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 on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer.
Incidents Around the House is a chilling, unique tale of paranormal horror told by the main character 8 year old, Bela. A story that is about a family as haunted as their home seems to be.
This book had a way of really drawing me into the story. It’s formatted a little differently than most books, which somehow pulls you deeper into the story as it unfolds. It was intriguing to read all of this from the point of view of an 8 year old girl. On one hand you can tell she suspects Other Mommy isn’t a friend, but at the same time – she sees her as a friend. It also puts an interesting perspective on issues within a family, and how ‘kids’ see them.
There are a few times throughout the book where we have a scene of Mommy or Daddo talking to Bela when they think she’s asleep. And the things they share – insecurities, fears, and even things they are ashamed of she hears it all. Though more often then not she doesn’t always fully understand what they are telling her. The topics lend themselves to give us a fuller picture of the family dynamics and even the dynamics of just her parents. So many ‘secrets’ exist, that make you wonder, what exactly would happen if she gave into Other Mommy.
The pacing throughout the book is really well done, even when events seem to pile on each other there is a steadiness to the narrative that keeps you seeing through Bela’s eyes. The author does a really great job of keeping us seeing and experiencing the world as Bela sees it. Digs into her emotions and even when she misunderstands the word ‘reincarnation’ and thinks Other Mommy said ‘carnations’ – while us readers know what Other Mommy really means, its adds a layer of nervousness as Bela doesn’t quite understand what it means at first. Even when she does learn the definition, she is still too young to really understand how it would apply to the relationship between her and Other Mommy. While the readers get the suspicion of the real terrifying motive behind Other Mommy’s desires.
The ending of the book left me wishing it was more fleshed out, or a little more detailed, but it kept true to the perspective we had been following throughout the book. And I ended up feeling almost as lost as Bela seems to be.
Overall, Incidents Around the House was a very good book. It was hard to put down and I finished it in less than three days. I read some reviews of of folks ‘screaming’ it was so scary. While it definitely gave me the goosebumps it was a really smooth read. And the scares in the book were not jump scares, but rather dug into the fear I think most people have in childhood. “What’s in the closet?” level of horror. The writing style and truly viewing the events as seen and experienced by Bela, left me almost yelling at her through the pages not to trust Other Mommy. Similar to horror movies where the characters decide to walk through the creepy graveyard and you just know the zombie is going to jump out to eat their face, there’s that sense of the reader ‘knowing’ something bad is going to happen but this innocent girl has no clue what’s around the corner.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Re-readability Rating: 7/10
Other Books by Josh Malerman:
-spoilers ahead-
There are a few critical moments that seem to catapult the story forward. Just as we get comfortable with Other Mommy hanging out in Bela’s closet or bedroom, she soon makes her way out to the rest of the house. This seemed to be the best way to get Bela’s attention, since she thinks everyone can see Other Mommy too.
It also becomes interesting when other characters start to see Other Mommy – as they can see her in her ‘true form’. While we do get a sense that Bela sees Other Mommy as something ‘different’ then other people in her life, it isn’t until much later in the book we see this shift to where there is actual fear from Bela at her appearance. The terror and the sense of danger increase gradually so you never feel too rushed forward, it feels very organic. I think one of the things that seems to affect Bela the most is when Other Mommy impersonates other people. So Bela thinks she’s hearing her mom talk to her when she pretending to sleep as is a habit for both her parents. But then there is the discovery that it wasn’t her mom after all but Other Mommy.
This definitely gives off vibes of a demonic haunting versus just your everyday ghost. While the author never labels it as such, I think that just adds more suspense to the narrative. They try running away from their house to escape it and that doesn’t work as it just follows them. They also go to different people for help, and you easily feel like a kid as both parents get frustrated from the lack of help.
Every family has skeletons in their closet and the interesting aspect is how Other Mommy digs into that. Makes the rift between Mommy and Daddo deeper as more secrets are revealed, and I think brings us to the ultimate conclusion of the book. Which I won’t spoil the ending, but I definitely didn’t see it coming.
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