Whenever I see that Josh Malerman is going to release a new book, I get excited. I first got into his works by reading a library copy of Bird Box, and have read the majority of his stuff since, over which he’s become a favourite author of mine. In fact, his last release (Ghoul N’ the Cape) is definitely the longest book I’ve ever read or reviewed.
That said, Inspection remains my favourite of his releases. I seem to be in the minority there, but I really like it and own multiple copies. Maybe that will change when I finally get to reading Pearl, Daphne, Black Mad Wheel and Malorie.
While browsing a book related website, I saw the cover for Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, and noticed it was to release this summer. I quickly requested a review copy, and waited several months for it to ship. It was worth the wait.
Incidents Around the House is a unique novel, in terms of how it’s written and presented. It’s formatted in a way that is different from almost every other book I’ve read, as it’s told from the perspective of a young girl named Bella. The author makes mention of this before the tale begins.
What follows is a story about a haunting. Specifically, a little girl who’s been visited by a ‘woman’ who lives in her closet, and has been for as long as she can remember. It’s so normal to her that she refers to this entity as ‘Other Mommy,’ and has thought that they are friends. That is, despite the fact that Other Mommy is covered in weird hair, can stretch herself to fill a room and has a face that changes.
This isn’t your typical ghost story, but it has a lot of familiar elements. It’s very familial, though, and touches on a lot of perhaps existential ideas about life, family, values and more. Needless to say, it’s an interesting read, and one that can be very creepy. Its younger narrator, and viewpoint, help.
There were admittedly parts of this story, or places it went, that I didn’t love. Thus, I’m a bit conflicted as to how to score it. Regardless of this, it was a good book and an effective horror novel, and something I’m glad I read. My expectations were a bit too high too, I think, based on the author being one of my favourites.
If you’re looking for a scary, well written and unique haunted house story, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is something you should look into. While it’s not the author’s best, that bar is pretty high. Overall, it’s a good, effective and easy to recommend genre effort.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided by Del Ray.