Synopsis
A chilling horror novel about a haunting told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy,” from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box
To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every “Can I go inside your heart?”
When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must 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 on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer.
Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror told by the child Bela. A story about a family as haunted as their home.
Review
A huge, huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC!
Channeling the evocative sensations of childhood terrors, Josh Malerman has written a modern horror masterpiece with his latest novel, Incidents Around the House. Told completely from the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, Incidents plunges into the darkness of childhood perception, the brutality of hidden family truths, and the insurmountable weight the loss of innocence holds. From the very first few sentences, Malerman demands your attention as we follow Bela and her family in their desperate attempts to free themselves from the grasps of “Other Mommy,” a malevolent entity whose chief mission is to “enter Bela’s heart.”
At the most basic level, the sheer presence and existence of “Other Mommy” is petrifying for a multitude of reasons. “Her” name in and of itself invokes a primary fear, a different version of the matriarch of a family, the given nurturer. In certain ways, this entity preys upon the given relationship between child and parent, only to exploit this dynamic with the question, “Can I go inside your heart?” “She” calls Bela’s closet home at the beginning of the novel instilling the most common and basic of fears among children, the monster in the closet. Bela’s descriptions of her countenance are spine-chilling; “her” face seems to move around her head, she “slithers” around Bela’s room, and can appear/disappear into the liminal spaces of her room. Malerman taps into these universal vulnerabilities amongst the young (something we’ve all experienced), establishing the uncomfortable, anxious tone before any real events transpire.
“Can I go inside your heart?”
Such a question may leave you scratching your head as an adult, but to a child, this question carries an even more elusive understanding. Such a proposition sounds like asking for access to your most vulnerable state, the deepest recesses of what makes you, you. And isn’t that where the most visceral fears lie? In a way, this brought to mind the kinds of invitations we extend to others particularly in times of distress, fear, or misconception. Again, this isn’t a new theme in horror. For example, the cardinal rule for vampires is that they must be invited into a dwelling, magnifying their need to be cunning, appealing, and trustworthy. While there isn’t a clear answer as to what “Other Mommy” really is, this link of permission to enter is another trope that Malerman utilizes to extract the greatest sense of fear possible. The parallels made between hearts and homes were illuminating and felt like a true revelation in spite of the raw, unadulterated vulnerability I experienced while reading. Malerman has you right where he wants you in these terms.
And in the spirit of vulnerable states, what is more innocent, more vulnerable than a child? Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts introduced (to me at least) the power a young narrator holds in terms of their understanding of the world in relation to their propensity for fear. In turn, Malerman’s writing elevates this concept in a way that’s nearly indescribable. Never have I experienced so much concentrated fear while reading. In a previous review of his short story, “It Waits in the Woods,” I hailed him as one of the few authors I have encountered that can effectively write a jump scare. Let me just say, Incidents Around the House is loaded with these situations of existential dread, something that can only be created with masterfully taut writing and otherworldly execution. Perhaps it’s his way of effectively rewriting the book on childhood fears by instilling new rules to play by. In this case, children are believed, the evils don’t plague just them, and the adults have no idea how to solve the problem at hand. If someone can tell me what’s more terrifying as a child than your trusted caregivers being unable to solve a problem, I would love to hear it.
As made evident by my rambling, this novel is one that is comprised of layers upon layers of existential trepidation, fears of the most primal nature, and above all, the seemingly unending depths of desperation. The plot as depicted by the synopsis seems basic and at its core can be summarized as a child haunted by a malevolent entity, yet delivers the direst of circumstances with seemingly no way out. This sheer desperation Bela and her family experience is unlike any conflict I’ve ever read, to be frank. The “solution” to the problem at hand demonstrates just how fragile a child’s innocence and vulnerability can be, how much they stand to lose. There’s nothing more terrifying than this unique form of devastation, something that comes with the weight of family secrets. It begs the question, just how much can the innocent take?
What Josh Malerman crafts from a typically worn idea in Incidents Around the House is nothing short of astounding, effectively eviscerating all we know of childhood hauntings. Upon reaching the conclusion of such a desolate, poignant tale, it felt as though my nerves were stripped to their core. The landscape of horror is changing for the better at the hands of authors like Malerman, who aren’t afraid to thrive in the darkest of lights.
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman releases on June 25th from Del Rey.
Leave a Reply