A haunted house novel that is now haunting me.

I've been saying to people for a while that horror books and movies rarely unsettle me and even more rarely scare me. It's ironic to think I'd been saying that, but then this book turns up on my doorstep and invalidates that statement.
I'm not sure if that's due to an uncanny amount of similarities between the events of this book and my life or down to the sheer brilliance of this novel. There were moments when I had to just stop reading to digest what was transpiring. I guess what I'm saying is that this is a tense and at times scary read.

The story is told in such a way that you are in Bela's shoes, you get to see through her eyes and experience the thoughts of someone experiencing so many new things and feelings at such a tender age. I think this is what works so well in this novel, to experience the innocence of youth firsthand firsthand and also happens to make the not-so-innocent even more nefarious.
Yes, this is a haunted house story but it's also a story of discovery, the loss of innocence, a story of youth, of observation, and most importantly a story of us and the human condition. All this wrapped up in a well-crafted horror story.
Congratulations Josh Malerman, this one's a winner!

I think this book is an incredibly unique book. Told from the perspective of a child, the writing style does really well at having the sort of flitting and flowing of a child’s thoughts. It does make it difficult to get into though which I’m sure you’ve had feedback mentioning previously. I completely get why it’s written that way and I think it’s a really great feature to have, but it did mean that I was unable to fully connect with it and therefore didn’t finish it. I really appreciated being given the opportunity to read it, and I just know that there are people out there that will adore this book. I’m rating it a 5⭐️ on here, purely on the basis that I think this book needs to be found by the right people (even though on this occasion I am not one of those people). I do hope I get the opportunity to read more from this author/publisher.
✨Important Note: I have recently (this time yesterday) gone through a very close family bereavement. This has the potential to impact my views on a book although I have made a particular effort for it not to do so✨

Written from the point of view of a young child, Bela, the unusual formatting and voice of the book takes a few pages for the reader to adjust, but once you get the rhythms, you're sucked right into this story of a young girl who keeps seeing the "Other Mummy" in her room, and who's afraid to say yes when this entity asks to be let into her heart. Is she imagining things? Is it connected to the fact she knows her parents are keeping secrets from her even if she can articulate this? Or is there something much more terrifying going on?

The book proceeds at whipcrack pace as Bela becomes increasingly scared of the "Other Mummy" and soon the grownups realise they are dealing with something that is much worse than a child's overactive imagination. But what does it want? Why has it targeted Bela? The answers won't necessarily surprise readers familiar with the horror genre, but Malerman effectively plays with tropes and scenarios we've seen before in ways that make them urgent in the moment. The unique voice and perspective only add to the unsettling atmosphere, and I'm a sucker for books where characters are living whole other stories away from the protagonist, and we only see these drip feed through our limited perspective. Here, seeing the disintegration of the adult world through clues Bela can't comprehend adds an extra layer of depth to everything.

In short, this is a tense, unsettling possession novel with a unique and pacy voice that only heightens the atmosphere of the strange. Very much recommended.

Though this book was published in 2024, I got an invitation to review this book from the publisher as the paperback version will be released on March 27th 2025. To be honest I have always wanted to read this book and I was super excited for the invitation to review the book!

Bela is an eight year old girl who lives with her parents--Mummy and Daddo and her grandmother Ruth. But there is also the Other Mummy--a malevolent entity hiding in the closet of Bela's room. The Other Mummy wants only one thing from Bela--to help the Other Mummy enter into Bela. But Bela was frightened and soon, her parents also realized the presence of entity and tries to move from place to place. But the Other Mummy is persistent and would not let Bela live alone.

It is interesting to read from a child's point of view--the entire story is written in Bela's POV. There were jump scare parts particularly the description of Other Mummy in words, make you feel like you are actually watching a horror movie on the TV. The only thing about the book was, I didn't really care much about the other characters, and I just really wish there was some background of about Other Mummy. Other than those two negative points, the whole book gave a creepy sense of vibe throughout the story. There were terrifying parts as well.

Overall this book is worth five stars.

Until this book, I thought I was numb to being scared by words on a page. It proved me wrong and how delicious that was!

Written from the viewpoint of 8 year old Bela, the writing style is unusual but lends itself to the reader really FEELING what Bela feels. Childlike language and perceptions interspersed with adult interactions to add depth to the characters of Daddo, Mummy and Grandma.

And of course, 'Other Mummy', the entity that continues to haunt Bela from her closet and continually ask her to let her into her heart so that she can reincarnate. Shudders down my spine!

The story unfurls as Other Mummy continues to become emboldened and more brazen in her (it's) quest and be seen by others around the house. A war ensues between a family fighting an evil they are not prepared for, whilst managing their own family's idiosynchrasies and foibles and builds to finally escalate in a breathtaking climax where we know not who will triumph.

This book was an utterly frightful joy to read and I feel privileged to have witnessed the story. Seriously spooky and horribly fabulous.

Josh Malerman, I salute you!

This one lived up to the hype.

Told entirely from Bela’s perspective, the book maintains a consistent and immersive tone, strengthening the eerie, unsettling atmosphere. Malerman crafts a story that is not just spooky but genuinely scary in places, and the way he describes events makes it incredibly visual—almost cinematic in its storytelling.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was excellent, enhancing the tension and drawing me even deeper into the unsettling mystery. The plot also took unexpected turns, never going quite where I thought it would, and I’m so glad it didn’t. By the end, I was left with a full-blown book hangover, processing everything I’d just read.

My only nitpick? The title. I get where it comes from, but it feels misleading for those going in blind. It undersells just how intense and haunting this book truly is.

Oh my goodness. I'm still reeling from finishing this book. It feels the story of Bela, a little girl who sees someone in the closet. She doesn't know it's not normal, but she knows she's started to feel uncomfortable about it.

The story creeps along getting more and more freaky. I couldn't put it down, there were plenty of 'no Bela no' moments.

While it is horror fiction I found myself pondering about the nature of family dynamics, how families are seen from the outside of that unit. And what would I do in that situation.... I have a 4yr old girl so really resonated.

What if your child had an imaginary other Mummy, that wasn’t so imaginary?

Bela has a friend who lives in her closet who calls herself ‘Other Mummy’. She is slowly losing her patience with Bela’s reluctance to let her into her heart, becoming more sinister and aggressive the more Bela says no.

The story is written in such a unique way, causing confusion to the reader akin to the uncertainty Bela feels when trying to navigate the true intentions of her best friend.

This was such an incredible book, I had goosebumps the entire way through and read it all in a day.

this book was a great portrayal of how a child thinks when things go wrong. how such a young brain cant comprehend or take on board certain things in life. or cant work them through. and who they usually go to would be their caregivers. so what then happens if part of the hurt ic coming from her parents!? and their very open to the child breakdown of marriage.
i felt so much for this little girl. straight away i wonder whether this other mommy character was something more than a horror plot point. but the way its written, the way its jumping and squirming as if you really are seeing it from the childs pov, meant you felt that fear. you felt that erry presence all the way through. your both learning of the child, from the child and through the child. its a brilliant concept and it played out brilliantly. the whole thing was so well thought out to make it work in such a well formed way. even the childlike words,sentencing and thoughts just added to how you read this and took it on. you almost felt like a child yourself and felt overwhelmed with that same fear when they just "dont understand".
its a horror but in so many deeper ways than you could imagine. i stayed thinking about this book long after i finished. and couldnt get that unsettled feeling away from me for a while. and still get it even reviewing it. has it finished? was it real? did i get it enough to do it or the child justice!?

I've read a ton of horror books, and I can attest that this book is a masterpiece.

Does me saying it matter all that much? TBH, not really. This is my second read of the book, as the review comes on the occasion of the publication of the paperback edition in the UK, after an invitation from the publisher. "Incidents Around The House" has already established itself as one of the best horror novels of the decade, if not ever.

This is no exaggeration.

The first time I read it, I was going "Holy...!" and "Wow" and "Woah!" The dread simply didn't let up. Thirty pages in, I'd fallen in love with the story, the writing, and, most of all, Bela's voice. Half the book done, I was missing nights with friends to keep reading it. A hundred pages before the end, I was rescheduling work to make it to the end. I simply couldn't let go.

And it's not simply because of the plot: no doubt, the story of eight-year-old Bela being haunted by an entity, an otherworldy presence bent on asking her to "go into her heart," a boogeyman-kind of creature naming itself "Other Mummy," is intriguing enough; but the insights on family, friendship, love, and the idea of home - now those were so incredibly precious, such little tidbits of wisdom, they were simply invaluable as such. Sprinkling them all over the terrifying situations Bela's family is forced to undergo was genius.

Many people will ask for more out of this book as they read it. It's so good, it whets the appetite with its brilliance, and it's a matter of time till you want definite explanations about every little detail, assuming such a great writer must have answers to everything: what is Other Mummy? where does she come from? what should Bela do? And you keep reading. Some answers you get, others you don't. For me, however, the book is just right as it is. It's ironic that I feel I know a book is 100% good when I don't want any answers from it, that I want to put it away and never come back to it for some time.

Coming back to "Incidents" after a whole year was a boon I didn't expect, and I thank the publisher for it. I envy people who're going to read it for the very first time, but it's also satisfying to discover that this amazing horror novel holds up fine even on a second reading. I eagerly recommend it.

Oh I ate this up! It was so creepy! Telling this story through the eyes of the child was such a good idea. Kids are creepy at the best of times but experiencing all this through her eyes *shudders*. Although I will say it was heart breaking watching her slowly lose her innocence. Back to the creepiness, there were so many times i found myself trying to hide from what was happening, reading it through one eye as if Other Mammy would go away. The way things unfold and are revealed is just so well done in this. Bravo Josh Malerman! Already got this on the book club list!