Not Null Book Review: Incidents Around the House

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is a supernatural horror novel that’s a wonderfully creepy read. The story being told from the point of view of an eight-year-old increases the fright factor.

My hair stylist told me about Sydney Books (on multiple platforms) and this was one of the books she reviewed last fall. The story being told from the point of view of an eight-year-old was intriguing. Also, my own writing had taken a turn toward horror and I wanted to read more in the genre.

Eight-year-old Bela loves her family—Mommy, Daddo, Grandma Ruth. But something she calls Other Mommy keeps asking Bela: “Can I go inside your heart?”

What seemed to Bela like a nice, albeit a bit frightening, relationship at first becomes downright terrifying the longer Bela refuses the request. As Other Mommy becomes bolder, Bela starts seeing that her parents are flawed, but she still wants to keep them safe. Will she give in and let Other Mommy into her heart to protect them?

I actually listened to this one, and hearing someone else’s voice telling the story might have softened the scares a bit. Maybe that was because I wasn’t putting my own voice and inflection on the words, so there was a little distance between me and the story. Regardless, I still enjoyed it and to this day half expect to catch a glimpse of Other Mommy in the closet.

The eight-year-old perspective was the most interesting aspect of this book. Bela had the innocence of a child thinking her parents were perfect and could protect her from anything. That innocence begins to fade as she figures out some of the things they are trying to shield her from.

Throughout the story, her parents and the additional characters were appropriately likable and unlikable—and their likability sometimes shifted. My favorites were Grandma Ruth and Bela’s babysitter, who was a rather minor character.

Other Mommy was super creepy! Without giving anything away, I’ll say the descriptions of her appearance became more detailed and visceral as the story progressed, as did the accounts of her abilities. So just when you think you know everything about this thing, bam! Something new comes up and sends a chill down your spine.

Overall, Incidents Around the House is a good read, especially for fans of horror. If you’re not a fan of the genre, it’s still worth a read to see how Malerman pulled off writing as an eight-year-old girl.

Josh Malerman also wrote Bird Box, which was made into a movie starring Sandra Bullock.

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