Book Review of ‘Incidents Around the House’ by Josh Malerman – Wordy Witterings

Recommended for: Fans of Stephen King and Grady Hendrix, those who enjoy a demonic possession and those who can cope with stories about creepy kids.

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: ‘Can I go inside your heart?’

When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay.

Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents’ marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel.

But Other Mommy needs an answer.

I’ve been getting better at reading horror, something I’d avoided for most of my life, and didn’t think that I’d been creeped out by this one. Then one night I found myself needing to put the light on to go upstairs, and looking at a closet with suspicion. It turned out that Other Mommy had managed to get under my skin after all.

I found the use of form in this novel to be an intriguing one. There is an author’s note at the front of the book explaining that “the unique format of the novel is intentional: left-justified for narration/action, indentation for dialogue, with spaces between. All in the name of perspective: This story is told by a child.” I admire Malerman for his bold choices here. I’m not sure that the layout enhanced my understanding of the perspective, but it did help to immerse me in the immediacy of the scenes and the lack of narrative commentary allows the reader to interpret the events themselves more readily. Bella sees what she sees, and takes a great deal of this at face value. It’s the adults who, like the reader, must interpret the events as problematic and find a solution

Whilst the simple reporting of dialogue may lead to details reading like a factual recount in the hands of some authors. Malerman’s dialogue often has a steady calmness to it and is at times rather rhythmic. So, you have this little kid recounting horrific scenes as though they are as strange as someone brushing their teeth, the reader’s mind asking all the relevant questions and filling in the gaps, and this lyrical soothing tone pushing you through it all. It won’t be for everyone, but personally, I found the style to be refreshing and rather compelling.

Some of the action is rather repetitive, and I found myself getting frustrated with Bela’s parents on more than one occasion. However, I found this to be a fast-paced read with the author avoiding many of the possible cliched scenarios. There are plenty of original features in this novel to make it a worthwhile read for fans of horror.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan, Josh Malerman and NetGalley UK for an ARC of ‘Incidents Around the House’ in return for my honest review.