Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman follows Bela, an eight year old girl that has been seening a ghost that she refers to Other Mommy. In the past Other Mommy has only stayed in Bela's room, Lately Other Mommy has been following Bela around the house and has even ventured outside. Other Mommy is always asking Bela if she can have her heart. Bela wants to be friends with Other Mother, but she is scared of her. Now things are getting out of hand and her parents have seen Other Mommy. They don't know who to turn to help them out with getting rid of Other Mommy. This was a fast paced book that I couldn't put down and read in 2 days. This book is for anyone who loves a good ghost story. Read a like authors would be Riley Sager, Stepen Graham Jone, Grady Hendrix, Simone St. James, and Jennifer McMahon.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I never read or watched Bird Box, and this was my first foray into Josh Malerman’s writing. And boy, was it one helluva foray.

The formatting of this book was *weird.* Let’s start with that. It took 2-4 chapters for me to get comfortable with the dialogue style, and even after growing used to it and even liking it, there were moments where I was confused as to whether a character was speaking. Part of this had to do with the punctuation errors. It wasn’t often, but here and there the dialogue punctuation would be completely wrong and it kind of threw me off whenever it happened! Incidents Around the House could do with another proofread before its publication date.

Beyond that, it was a decent read. I was absorbed enough to start and finish the book in a single day, taking a few minutes here and there throughout my shift to hide from management and finish a chapter. The writing style is simplistic and without much detail, which was perfect since it’s told from the POV of an eight-year-old. The lack of detail felt very much like listening to a child describe the events of their life without the vocabulary needed to flesh it all out. And the horror? Top notch. Excellent.

There were moments where the book truly dragged. The endless drudgery of car rides, motel rooms, and places to stay got boring fast. When things were happening, the book was great. When nothing else was going on…it was just kind of meh. For this reason alone, I’d rate this book 3.5/5.

If you liked Coraline, you’ll eat this one up.

HOLY SHIT. Just finished my book of the month, year, decade - Incidents Around The House by Josh Malerman stopped me in my tracks over and over again. Genuinely feels like a future classic - everything works, all the way to the perfect ending.

It’s a stunning horror book, delivering the experience I’m always looking for when I start something new in this genre.

Loved the style, removing quote marks has such an impact on the pace and feel, everything flows together so eerily. The style definitely increased the fear factor. Really, really smart choice.

Loved the protagonist, the voice was so simple and so sad. And it’s scary! It gave me goosebumps several times! I was scared to put it down and scared to pick it up. For real, this thing is frightening.

Incidents Around The House has this sustained tension that’s unlike anything else I’ve read this year - it put me most in mind of Come Closer and The Shining, which is high praise indeed. Loved it, loved it, it’ll be at the top of my top 10 of 2024 for sure. Loved it!

Here’s the thing…I read a lot of horror, and I can appreciate a well-wrought scary book, but I rarely get scared. Josh Malerman has an impressive back catalog which I’m ashamed to say I’ve only begun to dip into. As usual, my excuse is, too many books, too little time. I called the first Malerman I read, Daphne, a new horror classic. It was heartfelt, with a great main character, and most of all damn scary, even to a jaded horror fan like me.

Now comes Malerman’s new one, Incidents Around the House, and let me tell you, this book is creepy as fuck.

Incidents Around the House takes the trope of the monster in the closet, and he twists it up into a razor-sharp dagger that digs into the base of your skull. For a young girl named Bela, that monster is an entity named Other Mommy, who with one simple, seductive question—”Can I go inside your heart?”—it turns Bela’s world upside down. And not just Bela’s, because Other Mommy is soon too restless, and too powerful, to stay in the closet. What follows is a breathless, deadly race for survival against a malevolent, insidious monster.

If that was all Incidents Around the House was, it would be enough—it would be a crackerjack horror novel. But Malerman has more in mind. The entire novel is told from Bela’s point of view, and the voice Malerman gives her—true to her age but insightful, terrified but impossibly brave, worried for her parents and grandma but with enough love in her heart to want to protect them at all costs, even if it puts her in incredible danger—is a master class in authentic voice and sustained tension.

I think people are going to be talking about Incidents Around the House at awards season, and for years to come.

Incidents Around the House publishes on June 25, 2024, and is available for pre-order now.

One of the best books I've read this year! Terrifying and written in a way that made me believe it was actually coming from the POV of a child. Had to finish all of it in one sitting because I was glued to it the entire time. This book is worth your time.

Normally I don't enjoy books written from a child's perspective as they seem to either be written with a mentality too young or old for the character's stated age or so horribly repetitive it's reduced to jumbled babble. I'm so happy to state this is not the case with Incidents Around the House. Not only was the narrative voice believable for the character, Bela also displays the often uncanny intuitive understanding that make young children slightly terrifying. Eerie and unsettling, the plot kept me riveted and up way past my bedtime, checking the closet occasionally to be sure the door was still closed. Malerman does an excellent job building tension and dread while crafting a stomach churning monster out of our forgotten childhood fears.

This book scares the pants off me so good job Mallerman! I highly recommend it for a suspenseful and fear inducing ride. It was thrilling with horror aspects and so interesting.

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an early copy!! this was my first by this author & I am wanting to read more. This book was the closest I’ve ever gotten to “reading” a horror movie. I was hooked beginning to end. This book is creepy af, suspenseful, & truly horrifying.

I read this in one sitting! Its non stop from start to finish, had me on edge the whole time just waiting for that "jump scare". It has been a while since I've read a horror book that got me so hooked and gave me anxiety. The characters are amazingly developed, the main character is a 8year old named Bela and i love how she's so witty and mature and brave. The characters were so relatable from the parents relationship with their daughter Bela to their struggling marriage. The Paranormal entity called "Other Mommy" scared me so bad that i had to check my kids closet. Other mommy reminded me of the movie "MAMA" in how the entity befriends the child and becomes attached. The book was so fast paced that when i got to the end it felt like i was on a rollercoaster and then suddenly it was over and I was left thinking.....what just happened! Not everyone will like the ending but the ride is worth it. My first 5 star read of the year thank you Josh Malerman for freaking me out in the best way! PICK THIS BOOK UP!

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.

First, I would like to preface that this review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you for this opportunity!

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman is a psychological thriller that puts a unique take on the "monster in the closet" horror trope. Bela and her parents (Ursula & Russ) discover they have an entity in the house that Bela knows as "Other Mommy." As stated by Bela, this entity becomes "closer" as time goes on and "Other Mommy" becomes more and more bold in her attempts to press Bela to "let her into her heart" and help her "do carnation" by trading places. Not only do Bela and her parents have to face the obviously terrifying presence of this horrific entity in their house, but they also have to face their own secrets, pasts, and internal struggles at the same time. To some characters, it may be unknown to them at times of which struggle is more difficult to face. Will this trying time bring this family closer together or drive them apart? Will they find a way to finally bring this terrible real-life nightmare to an end?

Upon reading the synopsis, I was intrigued. I read a few reviews and was apprehensive due to the various takes on the author's approach on POV of this novel, which I understand. I do see how some may not be fans of this style, but with that said, I do personally think I enjoyed it and found it to be a fun change of pace from my normal reads. I can honestly state that I have not read a novel with the formatting and style like this one before, which is something that I give kudos to for taking risks and stepping out of the norms!

The story is told through the POV of an eight year old girl named "Bela." This child's perspective was also represented through formatting, dialogue, and style in which the narrator's inner thoughts were expressed (such as run-ons when she was particularly stressed, and the way in which the paragraphs were shorter and more separated).

To add balance to having the POV of a young child, monologues from adults in Bela's life (her parents and grandmother, for example) were the main way of delivering readers information about the other characters, adding context, as well as trying to add some depth/meaning to everything going on beyond (what we were shown through Bela's POV). I understand why this was done and found their "secrets" and confessions (most often when they thought Bela was sleeping) to be quite interesting.

With that said, there were times, especially towards the end of the novel, where those monologues were VERY long (multiple pages for one character without paragraph break). It was slightly overwhelming and I was worried I'd miss important details by trying to keep up without losing stamina or focus. However, the monologues were often when the adult characters were themselves quite stressed and mentally all-over-the-place, and the POV is a child, so this in a way conveys how the interactions between them must feel in their perspectives.

Again, this was an ARC copy and therefore an "uncorrected proof," so if there were any aspects I would potentially want to see any sort of change or improvement to, it may have been the length/structure of those previously mentioned monologues. Additionally, I am not quite sure I feel about the ending. It felt rather rushed, but perhaps that was the point and author's intention? It left me with more questions than answers, personally-- but, I do know that some readers might enjoy that as it leaves them with that feeling that I do sometimes see in horror novels and/or movies.

Lastly, while this isn't important to the review of the story, I just wanted to add that I had lots of fun with the novel's setting (Michigan!) as I am a fellow Michigander myself, and I found it exciting to learn that this is where the author is rooted!

Overall, I did enjoy this read and found many aspects to be unique and thought-provoking. Not only was there the sense of anticipation and anxiety with the characters when things got intense, but there were also additional topics that prompted reflection about humanity and morals, as well.


(Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, & Ballantine Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!)

Seriously creepy.
Bela, a precocious eight year old starts getting visits from an entity she calls the “Other Mommy”. The visits are benign at first, and even welcomed, but eventually Other Mommy becomes more demanding, and showing herself to family and friends, much more threatening.

Highly recommended.

This book screams good 'ol fashion horror. The "terrified by what you can't see" ....
Well told from a childs perspective, naive, curious, and terrified. Brings us all back to our 8yr old selves.
As usual Malerman delivers!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I've never been disappointed in a Josh Malerman book and the streak only continues with this one!
Incidents Around the House is an exciting, chilling new take on the classic "monster in the closet" tale. Going into it, I was a bit concerned that I'd find the narration to be grating and annoying and quickly tire of it, as the entire story is told from the perspective of an eight year old girl named Bela. I adjusted to it easily though and didn't find it to be a hindrance from enjoying the story, although I do think that the addition of a chapter or two from the parents' perspectives would have been a refreshing reprieve.
"Other Mommy" was downright horrifying and I wish that the ending was slightly less rushed so that I could maybe understand a bit more about what exactly she even was and what her motives were. At the same time, that lack of knowledge also only makes the idea of her even more unsettling, so maybe the quick resolution was for the best.

I'll definitely be closing my closet door before I go to sleep for the foreseeable future!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, & Ballantine Books for the ARC. 📚

Incidents around my house include pretty mundane stuff: stepping in a pile of cat vomit going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, tripping on the edge of the hallway carpet for the 47th time, having to redistribute the mail to my neighbors on a weekly basis because the mail carrier has some sort of number blindness. Malerman's incidents are NOT of this annoying but innocuous nature. From the start, they are puzzling with an undertone of menace at best, and fully, terrifyingly bone-chilling at worst. Other Mommy is without question one of the most haunting visuals ever to come to life inside my head. I stayed up until 3:30 AM reading it, and my naturally noisy old house in the woods had my heart in my throat with every scritch and creak, imagining this monstrous other slithering across my bedroom floor to kill my soul.

While the story is not an entirely new concept, it's not like anything else I've read. Is it a haunting? A possession? Some ancient unknowable Eldritch being? The most disturbing horror is not knowing what this kid and the flawed, damaged family called on to fight for her are up against. I was all in on the story from the very first lines, but the writing style did give me brief pause. It's told from the POV of the young narrator and reflects the innocence and unsophistication of her age. I was worried it would be distracting, but it only took about half a page to adapt and I never thought about it again. I am still trying to wrap my head around the ending a day later. I think this story is best experienced without knowing too much, so I think that's enough said.

This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.

Eight-year-old Bela's family is threatened by the presence of Other Mommy, a sinister entity persistently asking to enter her heart. As terrifying events escalate, Bela realizes that refusing Other Mommy's request may endanger her family. When the strain on her parents' relationship grows, Bela faces a difficult choice.

This story is narrated by Bela, which I thought was unique, but it definitely shows in the writing (lacks grammar and punctuation). It’s creepy but also unbelievable… there’s no way an 8-year-old would have kept quiet about or enjoyed visits from Other Mommy, especially given what she looks like. If she presented as a child or a woman it would be more believable. Also, Bela refers to her father as “Daddo” which is rough. The ending felt abrupt but that was probably the point.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I haven't read a book this chilling in sooo long! So good, full of the good cliches. And they start from chapter one! I thought the middle was dragging and the end was boring, but until it got dragging, I really liked it!

This story being told from a child's perspective was a CHOICE but was done perfectly, as I would have expected no less from Malerman. His work is so delightfully creepy and has the ability to immediately get under my skin but make me love it in the process. This was a wild ride and the creeping sense of dread throughout kept me hooked. Definitely recommend for lovers of Malerman's previous work!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey Publishing for my review copy!

If you can imagine a tiny spider slowly climbing under your shirt and up your spine, you can imagine how I felt for massive periods of the time I spent inside this book.

"Incidents Around the House" is written from the perspective of a little girl named Bela who has a "friend" who "lives" in the closet and requests that she be referred to as "Other Mommy."

As Other Mommy's presence becomes increasingly profound in all areas of Bela and her parents' lives, we begin to learn that Other Mommy is not the ONLY cause of said "household incidents."

The haunting is perhaps related to family dynamics, growing pains, and loss of innocence.

Or maybe it's not.

I friggin LOVED IT.
Malerman had me doing the hokey pokey to shake out the heebie-jeebies with this 5-star banger!

I was looking forward to reading this book, but I found it very disappointing. I never read other reviews only the synopsis to get a general sense of what the story is about. For me, the book was never scary. The demon I have not a clue as to what it looks like other than it can shape shift into other people, that it appears to be melting, crawling or slithering along the floor or wall. The people who have physically seen it are “changed forever” by seeing it. I wanted more details of this demonic creature that wants so badly to be reincarnated.
I felt no connection to the characters. Bela is an 8 year old girl and the story is told by her. Her parents are clueless. Mom is always angry, whining about the injustice of it all, yet she is the one doing unscrupulous deeds behind her husbands back, and mistrusting. Dad, the optimist, is just that. The only character I really liked was grandma Ruth. She’s the hard truthful tell it like it is character we can all relate to.
Then there is the format of the text. I’m not sure why it was done this way, but, it feels more like a manuscript. There are also some confusing holes in the story, such as, what happened to grandmas dog? It was there when they all ran out of the house, they didn’t appear to take it with the group and yet they were gone for a couple days. I could have entirely missed that part.
All of all, this book really wasn’t for me. I wanted so much more scare.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for the ARC of Incidents Around the House

This is not a new story, but it’s deliciously scary and I was hooked from the start (even put off finishing it to savor the sublime spookiness).