A review by killmoore_
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to love this so much, and I might have... as a movie. The intentionally vague writing style fell flat considering we had all the details of the parents uncomfortable bedtime monologuing, but none of the intense visual descriptions that a child would use to describe something truly unnatural - it felt like an easy way out. I had no idea what I was supposed to be scared of. 

It was an incredibly tense read with no real payoff, and an ending that left me so disappointed that I don't honestly know if I'd read another book by this author. If the awful ending, missed potential with the writing style and the atrocious characteristics of Ursula weren't enough to put you off of this book, the over use of the word "piqued" sure as shit will. 
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