A review by pitbulls_and_prose
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

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

4.0

Eight-year-old Bela loves her family. But lately, someone (or something) else has been spending time with her, and Bela calls her "Other Mommy". Scary things start happening around the house, and not only to Bela, but family and friends as well. Her parents are determined to fight whatever "Other Mommy" is and protect their daughter. They are desperate enough to try just about anything.

I liked this book. It delivered on being an extra creepy, haunted house story. The book is told entirely through Bela's perspective which lends to the creep factor because she's too young to fully grasp how much danger she is in. She eavesdrops on her parents a lot and you can tell she never quite thinks this haunting is as big of a deal as it is. You never fully know what's around each corner or who Bela is even talking to. Bela's inner monologue is at times very immature (rightfully so, she's eight) and at other times extremely mature. This was a very curious writing decision from the author. The parents' mental states both devolve throughout this book and you can tell by how they start talking to Bela like an adult more and more. While I did enjoy this, it wasn't anything new or special. If you're looking for a quick read to scare you for a bit, you can't really go wrong with this one, but there are better stories out there.



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