Josh Malerman delivers a very creepy novel with Incidents Around the House. It’s a truly unnerving read as it takes the haunted house, demonic angle, but puts it on its head by telling it from the perspective of a little girl.

There’s something in Bela’s closet and it’s started to come out and ask to be let in to her heart. Calling it Other Mommy, Bela accepts this being as a reality, even as it begins to scare her. Her parents, Mommy and Daddo, don’t seem to perceive the entity, but can occasionally sense something off; the house creaking, a strange and awful smell.

How long can Bela hold out against a terrifying creature that can be anywhere?

When Other Mommy makes an appearance at a party, Mommy and Daddo realize that there is something truly horrific going on in their house. And when they both have encounters of their own, their family is threatened and is on the verge on being torn apart by a creature and by family secrets.

It’s a compelling read, something I read late into the night, just wanting one more chapter, one more experience, and the way Malerman doles out his horror it’s truly frightening because Bela just accepts the reality of the situation. She doesn’t question the possibility of these things, a child has more room in their imagination and lives for things that adults can’t or don’t want to believe in.

As Mommy and Daddo seek help, they turn to a number of options, and it seems that while a lot of people are interested in the occult, no one, no matter what they say, has a real answer. But maybe, the family has a way to figure out how to protect their family on their own.

Or will Other Mommy have a plan of its own?

With truly frightening sequences, Malerman delivers a tale of family, innocence, secrets, and the problems we make for ourselves. Bela is a little girl in an impossible situation, and no matter what her family does, it will be up to her to make a decision in the end.

The pages flew by, the scares, and the poignant moments weaving into a tale that didn’t want to be put down. It was a fantastic and frightening read, and I love how the whole thing played out, and that ending!

It’s heartbreaking, powerful and so scary. I don’t often get creeped out by books, but this one worked. This one worked like gangbusters, and I loved every second of it. It was spooky, and had some wonderful themes about secrets, innocence, and family.

I may have to take a look for more by Malerman.