I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I’m not saying I didn’t like it, I’ll explain. Let’s review.
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
- Category – Paranormal Horror Thriller
- Length – 367 Pages
- Read Time – 1 Day
- GR Rating – 3 Stars
This book was creepy, alarmingly stare at every dark corner in the room all night creepy, hold your breath & listen close “was that a noise?” creepy. Told from eight year old Bela’s pov, we experience a childhood haunting.
*Edit: Imagine my surprise to find out literally within the hour of posting this review that this book has been adapted to screen, set to be released in theaters, in the U.S., Oct. 9th, ‘Other Mommy’ starring Jessica Chastain. I will absolutely be watching this movie. Love when books I’ve enjoyed make in to the screen!
She lives in the closet, she says to call her other mommy.
Bela is an only child, she lives in a nice house with parents Ursula & Russ who seemingly have a good loving relationship with each other. Understanding that we’re getting the story & background from an eight year old child, it’s hard to take everything at face value. As the story unfolds we see that home life isn’t as idyllic as it originally looked via young Bela’s eyes. There were several times throughout the book that I wondered if maybe “other mommy” was a stress/trauma manifestation in Bela’s mind but then other people saw her too.
Other mommy started off as Bela’s imaginary friend, keeping her company when she was feeling lonely but she wanted to go inside her heart. Weary of the request & confused by what it meant Bela would not say yes. Every time she said no other mommy became more menacing, not only towards Bela but everyone in the home. Things really turn up several notches when the entity starts being seen by others. The family tries to run, escape the terror in their home but it follows them, forcing them to return & confront it.
I will confess the ending twist was an unnecessary confusion to me, it really didn’t come across as integral to the plot & in my humble opinion the book would’ve been just as good without it. Ultimately I liked this book, although not as much as I thought I would throughout the 1st half. It was an intriguing read, I like this authors writing style, I wanted to know what came next, as is evident by the 1 day read time, haha. This was one of those reads that was easy to get lost in, just start reading & not realize time passing until several chapters later.
Creepy, intense & filtered through a childs’ lens this book is a perfect summerween read. Outside on a cool summer evening, snacks, chilled beverage, book & the sounds of a peaceful summer night as the sunlight dips below the horizon. *chefs kiss*
Thank you for joining me for another review, happy reading!
Hasta la próxima – V
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