Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hells bells. This book threw me for a loop. I ingest a lot of horror content in various mediums, and this is the first horror novel I’ve read in a long time that actually affected me. I got legitimate chills multiple times while I tore my way through this book. I read around 75% of Incidents in a 24 hour period - really just couldn’t put it down.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THIS NOVEL AND RECENT(ish) HORROR FILMS

Some positives and negatives:
+ The conceit of the story being written from a child’s perspective was clever and unique
+ The persistent threat of Other Mommy was reminiscent of It Follows or the creeping dread induced by the Resident Evil games (e.g. Mr X/Nemesis)
+ Perfect pacing and length. Malerman understands the value of brevity (mostly…more on that in a minute)
- I found the passages where the parents were philosophizing at Bela while they thought she was sleeping to be an absolute slog. These segments were clearly meant to hit the reader over the head with the book’s themes and it just didn’t work for me. They seemed to go on and on forever.
- Shoehorning in Goblin and nodding to (what I’m assuming are) other stories felt a bit craven to me. I love Stephen King’s weird little pocket of Maine that he wove into his work over the years, but this felt like Grandma Ruth was going to show up in an eyepatch and say “We’re putting together a team.” Not everything needs a “universe”. Totally took me out of the story.
- Much was made of the alarm system and guard dogs and then they didn’t factor into the story in a meaningful way.
- The back half of the third act just didn’t really stick the landing, but I understand it made sense thematically. The downbeat ending reminded me of Talk to Me, so much so that I wondered if Malerman was inspired (being generous with that word) by the film.

Despite my quibbles, I loved reading this and highly recommend it. I don’t recommend doing what I did - reading it on a tablet in the dark at 2 am.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman follows Bela, an eight year old child who is being haunted by an entity she refers to as “Other Mommy.” Other Mommy is determined to get into Bela’s heart but has to get permission from Bela first. At first, Other Mommy only visits Bela at night but the longer the story goes on, the more Other Mommy comes out until she is appearing everywhere Bela goes.

This book was so scary to me. I’m not someone who gets scared by books typically and I think I’m pretty desensitized to a lot of horror after reading so much of it. But this book has actual jump scares! If you mixed Coraline with Lights Out and sprinkled a little Paranormal Activity on top, you would have this book.

This book is told entirely from Bela’s perspective and I think that decision works well because of the way a child’s mind works. Things are bigger and more scary reading them from her point of view. Adults talk over her so you only get snippets of conversations sometimes so you are forced to try to fill in the blanks. It makes a lot of the adults seem very clueless, which I can see annoying some people but it just felt realistic to me.

The atmosphere is top notch in this book. The way things are described had me looking over my shoulder while reading! If you want to be scared, I suggest reading this at night in the dark for the fullest effect.

This book is going to be a huge hit with horror fans when it comes out because it is truly creepy and unsettling. I have read a few books by this author now and this is my favorite. Make sure to put this one your radar!

*Mild spoiler warning- nothing too revealing*
I am happily child-free. I know I don't have the capacity/desire to be a mother. I like my freedom. I like to drink and maybe enjoy an herb or two when I want. And I (personally) believe that people who want to live that kind of life should be child-free, too. If you can find a balance to accommodate both, good for you. The parents in this book do NOT have that balance. It's not stated exactly how old Ursula (great name, by the way) and Russ are, but having parties with drugs and alcohol with your child at home??? I don't care if you get a babysitter or if your friends love the way your kid dances! NOT IN YOUR HOME WITH YOUR KID THERE!!! I disliked the parents immediately.

Another gripe of mine: treating your kid like your therapist. Bela knows something is rotten in Denmark- that's why she's vulnerable to Other Mommy. But for her parents to (sometimes drunkenly) unload all their sh*t onto her when they think she's sleeping... No. Not okay.

I was a nanny for twelve years and have spent the majority of my professional life working in kid-related fields. I know that kids are way more perceptive than adults give them credit for. Bela is an amazing character in that she's a kid being thrust into adulthood far too soon. Josh Malerman has written a great one this time, but it's so frustrating to read about a child whose innocence is being ripped away so early in life. It definitely makes for a scary story (Other Mommy is NO JOKE) but it still makes me sad.

OK, rant over. For now. More when I finish.

Just finished. Damn. Not what I was expecting.

Final opinion: gorgeously written. Effing creepy.

Eight-year-old Bela is the only child in a dysfunctional family full of secrets. Bela has also been keeping her own secret from Mommy and Daddo. She's been talking to an entity that hides in her closet. An entity she calls Other Mommy that at first seems friendly and benign but is now becoming increasingly bold and aggressive. Other Mommy is growing more powerful and no longer confined to Bela's room. It grows angry and frustrated that Bela will not answer its question "Can I go into your heart?" Now it follows Bela everywhere and has no fear of showing itself to others. It knows things about the family and uses it against them. It can be anywhere.

Told from Bela's point of view the story is even more terrifying when portrayed through the eyes of a child who is learning that her parents can't always protect her. She struggles on her own to understand the meaning of this entity wanting to go into her heart and her sadness at the loss of what she once considered to be a companion who was there for her when her parents were not.

This is not one of those books that I couldn't put down. Incidents Around The House is a book that I had to put down more than once. I had to take a break because it was scaring me. It brought back every childhood nightmare I had ever managed to forget. It will land on my Best Horror Novel of the Year list.

This was such a quick and easy read, though the no quotation marks was kind of hard to adjust to. This book was honestly slightly terrifying. The idea of 'other mommy' and the whole coming out of the closet thing. I enjoyed the narration and Bela and the fact that her parents believed her and tried everything they could to protect her. I also liked their interpersonal drama as well. The reason this is three stars is because I would of liked a little more. Maybe a little more scary, a little more about other mommy and precisely what 'she' was. I also felt like the ending was a little confusing and wrapped up a little too quickly.

A good ole spooky story about secrets that haunt your life and want to take over. This is told from the perspective of a little girl who has an imaginary friend who uses her friendship to try to “get into her heart”.

If you’re looking for a horror story with family drama, secrets, and a boogeyman this is the book for you! I really hope this becomes a horror movie in the future.


Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This book really kept me hooked which is totally out of my normal since its a horror book. I may look into more from this author!

This was an incredibly read of an amazing horror book! My mistake to read this before going to bed with the lights out because mannn - this was scary AF. I read this like watching a really scary film, but even better. The wording, the pacing, the action, just everything encompassing this book was worth the time and the hair standing up on the back of your neck.

One odd thing was about 15% through I wasn't so sure how old Bela was. I didn't recall it being said in the book. It wasn't until I reread the synopsis that I realized Bela was 8, and that made the writing style even more definite in its wording. I knew she was a young girl, but I just didn't realize she was 8. Anyway, what an amazing and scary read this was and I highly recommend it. This was wild and the monologues were kinda fun to read, pulling you out from the horror just a little bit to read about humanities. This was my first read of this author but now I'm a huge fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this incredible horror book. All opinions are my own.

Ever since Bird Box, I have loved Josh Malerman's books. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc because it rully did help me get out of a massive reading funk! I read this back in February, maybe even January (time goes by wayyyy too quick) and I still recall the tension I felt and how I was scared to read this at night. First book I had read in a L.O.N.G time that actually kept my attention and made me WANT to read!

What a great year for horror fans everywhere! Why? There have already been a few books released this year that surely will be contenders for my Best Horror of 2024 list, and now I have added INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE.

Young Bela has mentioned "Other Mommy" several times to her family, but no one seemed to be listening. Other Mommy lives in Bela's closet, or at least she used to. She used to be confined to Bela's room, but now she seems to be following Bela, even on a trip to the playground. No one is really paying attention though, until finally Bela's real mommy gets a glimpse of her. From that moment on the tension steadily hums as the scares get darker and more frequent. As Bela's parents search for answers, the only answer that they come up with is to tell Bela to continue saying "No" when Other Mommy asks her if she can come in to Bela's heart. What is Other mommy trying to accomplish? Why has she attached herself to Bela? You'll have to read this to find out!

Nearly 400 pages flew by in what seemed like seconds to me. I was so engaged with this severely dysfunctional family, I did not want to put this book down. The mystery of Other Mommy was intriguing as was the family's hunt for someone that could help them. Aside from all this, there were other family dramas occurring and all of that just added to the realistic feeling of this fast paced familial nightmare.

As a seasoned horror reader of 40 some odd years, rarely does a book actually scare me. I must admit though, that at times, this one did. The visual of Other Mommy as drawn by Malerman's incredible imagination is going to haunt me for a long, long time.

I say, BRAVO! My highest recommendation!

*ARC from publisher.*

This book was eerie and unsettling from start to finish. I love the fact that the book was written from the point of view of the child, Bella. Everything to a kid is more terrifying than it really is-which makes it more terrifying for the reader. In this case, Bella’s point of view was just the tip of the iceberg, as the Other Mother was worse than she realized. The constant shadows and creaking noises provide nightmare-inducing terror and suffocating dread. Malerman also did a great job of weaving in real life cruelties that have opened up a way for the villain to latch onto Bella; it’s real life that is what breaks us, sharpens our edges, and obliterates our innocence.

This story was a great haunting/poltergeist inspired plot whose prose is jarring and abrupt. It encompasses childhood fears and adult disbelief-colliding violently and thoroughly. This is a perfect book for horror fans, and will stick with you after you read the ending.

"Can I go inside your heart?

Bela, a precocious 8 year old, loves her Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth more than anything in the world. Lately, though, there is Other Mommy that lives inside her closet and wants to be her friend. Before long, Other Mommy, is coming out of the closet and asking Bela things that make her uncomfortable. She mentions Other Mommy to her parents but of course they think it's the wild imaginings of a child.

Until, they have a house party with friends and one of those friends also sees Other Mommy causing her to run screaming from the house and confirming that their daughter was telling the truth.

Who or what is Other Mommy? You'll have to read this to find out!

Do you like to be scared? Then this is the book for YOU!!!

I worried that a book being narrated by an 8 year old would be too annoying and juvenile but I was so wrong. Bela gave this story authenticity and it was so effective in frightening me to see things through her eyes. Other Mommy is straight out of a nightmare. To see her parents fumble time and time again through this hellscape they now found themselves in really got under my skin. I wanted so badly for them to have a happy ending.

Josh Malerman didn't just knock this out of the park, he knocked it into another dimension. He blew me away with his debut, Bird Box, but nothing else I have read of his has impressed. I couldn't finish either Pearl or Daphne and I wondered what happened to the genius writer that created the world of Bird Box. Well, I've found him again. This is the caliber of work I have expected of him. Absolutely everything about this book worked for me. The dialogue, the atmosphere, the foreboding sense of dread had me shivering. A real peak through your fingers kind of book because the horror is inescapable. AND. IT. NEVER. LET'S. UP. So don't think your going to get comfortable at any time while reading this, you won't, and it's for that reason why I can't praise this book enough.

For me this is a horror lovers dream (nightmare?) come true! EVERY STAR IMAGINABLE! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for my complimentary copy.

Netgalley ARC review:

This book had me absolutely terrified of the dark corners of my bedroom after reading each night. A story of a child haunted by an entity she names "Other Mommy" - my spine tingles just thinking about the images of this creature haunting this family.

The book is entirely written from the perspective of Bela, the child. It's also written in blocky chunks of mostly dialogue with no quotations, so if that's not your jam, this will drive you crazy. It took me awhile to adjust to the format and perspective. But it absolutely did not take away from how horrifying this book is. While I would have liked more atmosphere building and context on "Other Mommy", I know why it wasn't incorporated since we're seeing events unfold from a child's understanding.

What a spooky book. I normally don't care for books narrated by children but this one made sense. I could easily visualize every creepy thing that main character Bela was seeing and hearing. 'Incidents Around the House' is a quick, uncomplicated ghost story that will be perfect for any horror fan. Definitely pick this one up.

What if a being of some odd sort…a demon maybe….comes out of your closet every night and asks “can I come inside your heart”? The easy answer is “No”, but suppose that thing is extraordinarily persistent and starts to follow you everywhere and then you discover that grown-ups see it, “Other Mommy” as you call it, too. When grown-ups see Other Mommy they scream and run away from Other Mommy’s hairy arms and upside down face.
Josh Malerman has succeeded in writing a tale of the stages before full-on demonic possess ion: Infestation, Oppression, Obsession and Possession. We’re not sure if Other Mommy is a demon or a dead person wanting to reincarnate in young Bella’s body, but either way the intention is to move in and live again in the body of a child….and to send that child’s soul off to eternal darkness.
This ranks high, very very high, in my list of outstanding fiction on the topic of possession (or pre-possession). Fantastic!!!
Mr. Malerman relies on creepy visualization, pictures of Other Mommy that you make in your head, imagining Other Mommy down the hall, in the closet, in the play park, in the water. For those, like me, that love to be creeped out without gore and guts….this book will fill that desire.
Thank you #netgalley for allowing me,to,read and review the creepy, wonderful #IncidentsAroundTheHouse

A bit hard to get into the writing style, and I usually find adult-stories-through-a-child's-voice to be tiresome, but this was absolutely gripping once the story was underway. I felt a delicious sense of dread until the end.

First off, Incidents Around the House is an incredible title. I think I’d probably read a book with that title regardless of who wrote it. But the fact that it’s the latest Josh Malerman novel just adds to the excitement.

Our narrator is Bela, an eight-year-old girl who lives with her Mommy and Daddo. AND a creepy entity that comes from her closet called Other Mommy, who frequently asks Bela, “Can I go inside your heart?” Yeesh. As other adults begin to see Other Mommy, and things become increasingly dangerous, Bela’s parents take desperate measures to save the family. But who can you turn to when you need to fight the unknown?

I haven’t read any of Josh Malerman’s work for a while, but Bird Box is one of my all-time favorites. Malerman is great at creating a terrifying atmosphere of inescapable terror, and this is displayed with aplomb in Incidents. This book is so unbelievably creepy that I was afraid to go to the bathroom during the night out of fear of what might be lurking in there. There are some images that will stay with me for a long time.

There’s also a beautiful story of a family here, and just how hard it can be to keep everything together, even when you’re not fighting literal demons.

It can be a challenge to tell a story from the POV of a child, and still maintain the attention of an adult audience (Room, by Emma Donohue, is a terrific example). Malerman tackles this issue well, including conversation and monologues directly from Bela’s family, as her parents often speak to Bela when they think she’s asleep. The structure of the writing made the book very easy to read, and I raced through it in a couple of days.

I really enjoyed this book, and can easily imagine this being adapted into a movie or TV show; it has a very cinematic quality. For fans of haunted house novels, demons, family drama, and being terrified beyond comprehension.

While I would recommend this book. I would NOT recommend reading it at night. 1) It's super creepy and 2) You'll stay up all night trying to finish it. I stayed up reading it for as long as I could and couldn't put it down the next day. The story jumps right in and doesn't stop. It centers around Bela, a young girl who keeps seeing an entity called Other Mommy. Other Mommy visits only at night....until she doesn't. This book starts off as a typical "child sees something that adults think is imaginary", but then quickly evolves from that. This book gave the chills multiple times and me loudly saying "NOPE!". I will easily recommend this to any horror fan looking for a fast paced read that will keep them up at night.

The concept was good, however poorly executed. There was only one part that was slightly scary. The ending was very predictable, and the characters were all unlikeable. The dialogue was poorly put together, and very unbelievable

I finished reading Incidents Around the House a week ago, and I’m still reeling from the reading experience. Josh Malerman is a favorite author of mine, but he’s outdone himself with this one. Incidents Around the House is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read. Ever.

A lot of that is down to the way the story is told, which is nothing short of genius on Malerman’s part. The book is narrated by eight-year-old Bela, who lives with her Mommy and Daddo, and who has recently made another friend she calls Other Mommy. Other Mommy lives in her closet and comes out at night to play with her. But lately, Other Mommy is starting to come out at all hours of the day, and to follow Bela places, and to ask insistently if she can come into Bela’s heart. When Other Mommy is spotted by one of Mommy and Daddo’s friends, Bela’s parents are forced to confront that a malevolent entity has attached itself to their daughter. But it’s not just Bela that is haunted…

There’s something so viscerally horrifying about reading an innocent child’s perspective on terrifying events, relayed casually and matter-of-factly in straightforward, simplistic prose. I can’t imagine it’s easy to write from a child’s point of view, but Malerman completely nails Bela’s voice. Her observations are age-appropriate, and yet through her, Malerman also manages to convey the more complex, nuanced emotions of the adults around her. Through Bela’s eyes, we are witness not only to the way she is being manipulated by other Mommy – but also to the very grown-up struggles of her parents, whose marriage is on the verge of falling apart. Part of me wonders if the idea for this book came when Malerman was writing “Half the House is Haunted,” a novella from Spin a Black Yarn that is partially written from a child’s point of view. In any case, his portrayal of a complicated family dynamic and of a frightening, traumatic haunting are masterfully conveyed through Bela’s eyes.

Incidents Around the House is Malerman writing at the top of his game: a chilling, complex, wholly unique tale of terror that is also emotionally rich and heartbreaking. I would have binge-read it in one sitting, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it in bed at night. I have a closet, after all, and it was all too easy to imagine Other Mommy in there, wanting to play….wanting to come into my heart. Thank you to Del Ray for the early reading opportunity and for the nights of restless sleep since I read this book.