I'm not one to want to read horror with the lights on, but Incidents Around the House had that affect on me. Eery, creepy and completely gripping. More please

A very creepy book with the POV of an 8year old child as the main narrator with conversations between her parents when she’s “asleep” to the side of that.

The character of the other mommy was definitely creepy and her constant question to be let into Belas heart was enough to not make me want to read this in bed. I think the overall idea of this story was great in theory but the execution didn’t do it for me. I think I was put off by the child’s POV. To me she read as much younger than 8 and the conversations between the parents could have been written as inserted chapters outside of Belas POV commentary. Maybe this book is more suited to audio where you can listen to Bela but then the parent’s conversations can be heard as just that.

I didn’t dislike the book. The story piqued my interest but the execution of it didn’t work for me. Still, I am sure that there will be many who fully enjoyed it and the creepiness of the story was excellent. I just was taken out of it by its execution.

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddy 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.


I enjoyed reading this and its different POV, being a child. The story zips along at a good pace and is seriously scary. I struggled a little with the parents, they were not very real in my opinion. Great idea but I didn’t feel like it fully worked for me.

Synopsis

Bela is 8 years old and lives with mommy and daddo and an entity from her closet she calls other mommy. Other mommy keeps asking if she can go inside her heart. The more Bela says no, the more insistent other mommy becomes. As the safety of her family deteriorates, Bela is becoming worried that she might say yes.

Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I found this really hard to rate. It definitely had the creepy factor and kept me reading. I wasn’t sure about the narration, as it was written from Bela’s perspective, some of it felt a bit repetitive, and I struggled with the conversations not having quotation marks to tell who was speaking. But… it definitely added to the creepiness having it written in this way. Some of the conversations the parents had whilst Bela was sleeping felt odd, but… it helped us to know a bit of backstory. It was full of suspense and left you not wanting to go to toilet at night. The description of other mommy was very creepy. The characters were not all likeable but that worked well for the story. I enjoyed the slow burn creepiness throughout. I found the ending a bit predictable but thought it worked well. I have heard the audiobook for this was very good and added to the creepiness. Overall an enjoyable book with suspense and an easy page turner.

An intriguing premise, very atmospheric and definitely had me on edge at times (I’m realising I’m just not meant to read ‘things that go bump in the night’ books before bed).

I will admit the child pov put me off, I’m not really around 8 year olds so I could be wrong, but Bela spoke and acted far younger than she was supposed to in my opinion.

I enjoyed this overall but will admit it was tainted by the run on philosophical chats the parents would have when she was ‘asleep’, which almost actually put me to sleep. Also the ending was just fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.
3/5 ⭐

Creepy, unhinged, will have you up at night!
Unlikeable characters
Child’s narrative was an interesting take!
This wasn’t your usual style book but I think that’s far game added. Different element.
Very enjoyable read

Narrated from a perspective of an eight years old girl. The book is creepy and intriguing. Unthinkable keeps happenings and things become chaotic and atmospheric. I liked the ending. The Other Mommy added a layer of mystery and made it even more compelling and atmospheric. Many Thanks to the Publisher for providing the book.

A genuine creepy horror as told through Bele an 8 year old who has the 'other mummy' trying to get into her heart. Love the tale as told by Bela. This book had me hooked from the very start. I would love to see this as a movie. A must for horror fans. Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for this review ARC.

I can absolutely see how other people will love this but for me it just didn't work. I didn't enjoy the writing style and found myself not really caring about any of the characters. The ending also fell a bit flat for me. I didn't really see the point?
It was however creepy and tense and I wouldn't want to read it alone in a house at night!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book

What an exceptional and terrifying book! I’d seen the hype around this for almost a year now and was prepared - as is often the case with such praise - to be disappointed. But, nope! This time it was absolutely justified.

The only thing I’d read previously by Malerman was a short story he did for Amazon back in 2023 that I did not vibe with, but it never put me off seeking out a full novel from him. And what a place for me to start here!

The brilliance of this book is in its narration. For a story told by an 8-year-old to be *this* scary is quite something, but Malerman is so careful and thoughtful with how he has written Bella’s voice that he nails it. If anything, making it from the viewpoint of a child - without making her unreliable - actually makes the book more scary. The half glimpses, the stripped back descriptions that cut to the bone, and her little observations that she probably doesn’t understand but that adult readers do…my favourite being how she thinks her dad looks at her hand differently after she tells him that it has been held by Other Mommy.

Oh yeah, Other Mommy…oh my god! Nightmare fuel, and all the more terrifying again because of Bela’s viewpoint. That and the fact that any time an adult sees Other Mommy they completely lose their shit. So much of Other Mommy got under my skin and will be staying there for a long time - the hair on her arms, her upside-down face, her size, the way she moves across rooms, her ability to mimic. Most disturbing for me, though, we’re the descriptions of her kneeling next to Bela, with clothes going down to the floor but her legs and lower half still crouched behind them and hidden, ready to move. Such a simple image but horrifying too.

This book has a number of excellent set pieces that horror fans will love. But it’s also a very real and cutting book about parenting - all the more impressive given that Malerman does not have kids himself. It’s a book about relationships, about flaws, about regret, about resentment, about love…as well as being a fucking terrifying book about a demon. Oh, and the ending is an absolute banger too. Damned good and totally worth the hype.

Can this go inside my heart? It already has.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the review copy!

3.5/4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/03/25/review-incidents-around-the-house-by-josh-malerman/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Atmospheric, Creepy – That Ending Though

Incidents Around the House. In a nutshell is a horror story with a strange entity that lives in a closet and has attached itself to a the youngest family member – Bela, aged 8.

I really liked that the author chose to tell the tale from Bela’s point of view. I’m not sure all the scenes are always believable but putting that to one side for the moment I think this voice brings a certain level of innocence to the story that wouldn’t otherwise be there. Bela is coming to an age where she’s becoming more aware. Maybe everything in her family life isn’t quite as perfect as she always thought, little cracks are appearing and observing and discovering the true nature of the relationships at play here was all the more intriguing for having a child’s voice.

Bela has a friend, at least that’s the way the story begins. Other Mommy likes to talk to Bela when she’s alone, the thing is though, recently she’s asking something of Bela that makes her uncomfortable. She wants Bela to let her into her heart – but Bela is very confused. She doesn’t understand what this means and she’s now becoming more wary of Other Mother – especially as her demands are starting to feel a bit more pushy.

Meanwhile, through Bela’s observations we begin to see that not everything is perfect between her parents. I won’t elaborate on this but leave you to discover the whys and wherefores for yourself. It made me think at first that Other Mother was some sort of manifestation that had come about as a result of Bela’s own troubled thinking. However, as the story progresses the Other Mother reveals herself to other people – which is always a terrifying experience for them. On top of this, she’s no longer confined to Bela’s bedroom or closet but even seems to be able to follow her to the park and who knows where else.

Other Mother – okay, well, I couldn’t help but envision her/it as a strange mash between Momma and Coraline – I mean, once that dark image was in my brain it pretty much took up residence there and refused to budge – so that’s how I was envisioning her. She’s one creepy individual, difficult to really describe, almost like a dark spider lurking in the corners but with a distorted or strange perspective to her face.

Bela’s parents, Ursula and Russ. Well, not to labour the point, they’re struggling a little both with their own relationship and also the responsibility of having a child. That is, Ursula in particular is struggling and finds it difficult to be so ‘pinned down’. Russ feels more like the solid parent in Bela’s life. They both have a penchant for sitting on the edge of Bela’s bed and pouring out all their secrets and worries when they believe she’s asleep – spoiler alert – sometimes children pretend. Also, certain aspects of this gave me doubts because surely your partner might hear one of these one sided heart to hearts at some point – I don’t think these were necessarily believable scenarios but given that the author was using an eight year old to narrate I think they were necessary to get more information across to the reader. I’m not sure that I really engaged with either of these two, they didn’t neglect Bela, there was nothing really bad, but she felt terribly lonely to me somehow. There was also Grandma Ruth who seemed much more level headed and was a character that I liked for her no nonsense approach.

So, the story begins to escalate after someone other than Bela sees Other Mommy. From there events really begin to heat up and the family seem to spend much of their time running away, driving away, trying to find a safe place to sleep, trying not to sleep, and then ultimately running away some more.

Now, did I enjoy this. Yes, I think the writing is really good, there’s certainly plenty of atmosphere and although I didn’t really find this scary I was absolutely intrigued and compelled to read on. Which brings me to the conclusion. I don’t know whether to applaud the author for giving us such a shock ending (well, I think it was a shock – but also to be fair I’ve been thinking about this over and over and I’m still not sure I understand everything, I confess that I’ve even returned to the book and read the last few chapters again, like I’m waiting for the lightbulb moment to happen) or just feel totally naffed off because I want some concrete answers. And there you have it. This ending is not all neatly tied up and that’s a decision that could be divisive for readers. You’re going to have to exercise that grey matter and try and reason out what you think was really going on – and I confess – I still haven’t nailed it down so if you want to chuck me a bone and put me out of my misery then leave me a comment.

Otherwise, this was very readable. It’s dark and atmospheric. It feels like a ghost story but I don’t think it’s quite that. It’s intriguing. It’s definitely kept me thinking and that’s never a bad thing and I would love to see this adapted and watch it on the big screen – I imagine it would be very good.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars rounded to 4 of 5

Have heard such good reviews about this book I really wanted to read it . I have read a couple of horror books before but this one started off with a bang and had me completely spooked up. I devoured it in just two days, I loved the innocence of Bela's character. Personally I felt towards the ending the story fell flat, Otherwise it would have been a clean 5 star. I should start checking for the other books by this author 😀. If anyone is interested in horror fiction then this is a must read. I thank netgalley and panmacmillan for the eARC copy.

This is the first Josh Malerman book I've read but it won't be the last.

Bela is a child and the story is told through her eyes. Her parent's marriage is struggling and she is being haunted by 'other mommy' who lives in her closet and visits her at night. Other mommy keeps asking to 'go into her heart' and I think Bela has some understanding of that means. Reluctant to give up her life she eventually tells her parents what is happening and they witness it for themselves, fleeing the house and seeking refuge where they can. Other mommy will not give up that easy and continues to follow them wherever they go until the parents have to take matters into their own hands.

A great crafted horror read that I thoroughly enjoyed. My only reservation was sometimes the lack of speechmarks, it made it more difficult to distinguish what was speech and what wasn't. Not sure if that was the ARC copy or of the author's design.

Thanks in advance for the copy.

Incidents Around the House is one of the few books that has managed to send chills down my body. Genuinely creepy.

A young family struggles with their daughters imagination, she keeps seeing 'Other Mommy' and while at first they don't believe anything is amiss in their home, but all too soon they will realise they can't dismiss Other Mommy anymore.

Told from the perspective of eight year old Bella, we see a young child not only watch her family and world unravel, but she also has to deal with an ancient evil.

"Can I enter your heart?"

A horror book for the ages, something so creepy that I won't be able to forget this one.

A five star horror that I'd love to see turned into a movie.

Incidents Around The House is written from the perspective of young Bella, providing an unusual view on the fear and dangers faced by the family. Bella's family consist of Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth ... and a dangerous, malevolent entity called Other Mommy.
There are some genuinely unnerving moments in the story and the creepy atmosphere is kept up throughout the story but it does come repetitive after a while.

This book was so, so, so creepy. It's the one thing the book got unquestioningly correct - 10/10 for the horror factor. The tension was huge, straight off the bat, because Other Mommy could appear at literally any time and she was described in genuinely the most disturbing, terrifying way. Her face is on upside down and she can appear through walls and floors and she scurries around on all fours and she asks endlessly creepy questions to little girls.

I thought we'd be playing this aspect up for most of the book where the monster isn't seen by anyone other than the little girl main character - but to my surprise, at just 33%, shit hits the fan.

And the kid narrator isn't the deal breaker it normally is: Bela is precocious but not obnoxious, still clearly a kid in her reactions but not frustratingly dumb. She's probably a touch unrealistic, as a kid narrator goes, but then again she lives in a world where Other Mommy exists, a monster who has eyes that move around her face on a whim. So yeah.

Such a creepy description for a monster who seems omnipresent and just has the worst mannerisms, skittering around on floors and into walls and peeking through ceilings and imitating people's voices. Eugh.

It did start to get a little bit repetitive, which is what I feared when we hit our big "oh shit" moment only a third into the book. There was a lot of build up to incidents, followed by running away to a new location and then a lot of chatting before we start building up again. Rinse, repeat.

The weird way the parents had long rambling diatribes at their kid made a bit more sense when they thought she was asleep but it came across a hell of a lot weirder when they were telling her their bizarre philosophical digressions about weird topics like fidelity while they were fully aware she was awake and listening to them.

I'm not sure what happened at the end but that's maybe for the best. I didn't understand Lois and her input into the story at all.

The real strength of the book was in the horror aspect. The monster description was genuinely terrifying. It was the kind of haunting description that makes you want to sleep with the light on after reading.

The weaker part of the book was the endless philosophising to an 8 year old, and how much this bogged the pace of the book down to a crawl at times as the family went from random person's house to random person's house in a desperate attempt to escape an entity that was clearly tethered to their daughter by the fact that she'd seen it in the park the one day early on in the book. Use your head, people. I'd be furious at someone bringing that awful shit into my house too, to be fair to the random people we impose upon and unwittingly trick into housing their haunted family for a potentially deadly night of terror. It could've been at least 80 pages shorter and had a lot more impact.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars
Paperback publication: 27th March 2025

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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?”

I liked the premise of this book, and there were a few creepy moments - especially in the descriptions of Other Mommy - but beyond this, I fear this is not going to make a lasting impression.
It was really repetitive - go somewhere, flee, go somewhere else, flee again, go somewhere else, flee some more… rinse and repeat - and I found some of the exposition really clunky. Both parents would, at several points throughout the story, confess their deepest thoughts and secrets to Bela, while they thought she was asleep… Who does that? I understand that, as Bela was our narrator, Malerman was trying to give us an insight into the adults’ thoughts, but middle-of-the-night monologuing to your sleeping child isn't it. Also the overuse of the word “piqued” wasn't it either…
I'm trying not to talk myself into a lower rating, but after *loving* Bird Box, this was disappointing.

4,5 *
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!

Wow... Just wow! My husband is the witness how terrible scared I was while reading this book... It was a great idea to write the whole story from the POV of a little girl. She tells the story about Other Mommy and the incidents.
First I thought that she will witness everything alone but her parents also see Other Mommy and they are terrified. As a mother of two little child I was extremely horrified (luckily we don't have a big closet :') ).
At the beginning Other Mommy behaves as an imaginary friend but after a while she starts to ask weird questions and tells her weird secrets about her parents: would Bela let her inside her heart to "carnate". That's when Bela starts to suspect that something is wrong with Other Mommy.
I loved how simple and pure Bela' s view of the world is. She is so innocent and lovely. No wonder she is wanted by this evil entity. Her parents are trying to find a solution but the case is, that it isn't as simple as in other horror books.
That was my favourite part, and maybe the saddest part... Seeing how desperate a parent becomes when he/she is stuck and can't solve a problem for his/her child...
The last secret is BANG, in your face. Poor Bela, my heart broke...
It was my first book from Josh Malerman but definitely not the last <3

I find it hard to believe that other readers have been terrified by Incidents Around the House. It didn't raise a shiver for me, but maybe I've become inured to the effects of horror after almost four decades reading the genre. It's an interesting idea telling the story from the viewpoint of eight year old Bela, although she does come across much younger most of the time, who's tormented by the seemingly imaginary Other Mommy who hides in her closet, but this is undermined due to a narrative that quickly falls into repetitiveness and adult characters who, with the exception of Grandma Ruth, make inexplicably stupid decisions every chance they get.

Thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey and the author for an advance copy

If you enjoy films such as Poltergeist, Insidious, Hide and Seek, The Conjuring then this book is 100% for you.

Told from Bela's POV it follows her and her parents struggle to escape "Other Mommy" an entity that had befriended Bela. The narrative is so well written from young Bela's point of view, the confusion, fear and sadness is almost palpable.