Incidents Around the House
A Novel: The Inspiration for the Movie "Other Mommy"
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3.9 • 497 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A young girl’s troubled family is haunted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy” in this chilling tale from the author of Bird Box.
COMING SOON AS THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OTHER MOMMY, STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN
“Deeply discomfiting, imaginatively ripe, yet ruthlessly efficient [with] claustrophobic terror that almost transcends articulation . . . Simply put—and I do not say this lightly—Incidents Around the House is the most purely effective horror novel I have ever read.”—Neil McRobert, Esquire
“This book is the monster that lives inside your closet.”—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House
LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • BRAM STOKER AWARD NOMINEE
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 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.
Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror about a family as haunted as their home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Malerman (Bird Box) offers some predictable yet still-eerie scares in this horror novel, which is told from the perspective of eight-year-old Bela, who first introduces herself saying good night to her Daddo and Mommy, before sharing that, after they leave her bedroom, "Other Mommy" emerges from her closet. Malerman gradually reveals more about Other Mommy, a thing with eyes that migrate around her head, who repeatedly asks Bela if she can "go into her heart" and talks of what Bela understands as "carnations" and readers will quickly realize is reincarnation. Bela's parents initially treat the existence of Other Mommy as a joke, but then her father notices a foul smell around the house. As Other Mommy increases her pressure campaign on Bela and becomes more active at different times of day, and in different places, Daddo and Mommy frantically search for answers and a way to eliminate the threat, even as fissures form in their marriage. Bela's naive narrative voice is the book's best feature, freshening up the familiar story beats and enhancing the creeping sense of dread. Malerman's fans will want to check this out.
Customer Reviews
Great Read
Really great story! Got a little repetitive but I enjoyed reading this book.
Engaging in the first half
The first half starts strong but then somewhere in the middle it just becomes meh.
Really good short read.
I truly enjoyed this novel, couldn’t put it down and when I did all I could think about was, ‘What was Other Mommy up to’. It had me on the edge of my seat at some parts, never expecting what was happening next.
-1 star for the composition used to write dialogue made it a bit confusing when more than 2-3 characters are speaking at once. Plus the ending was a BIT lack luster, I had to sit on it to really appreciate the vagueness this book brings to life.