Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman review – The book that inspired ‘Other Mommy’

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman: The review

Since hearing that Incidents Around the House was getting the Hollywood treatment, I’ve been itching to read it – and once I picked it up, I devoured it in little more than 24 hours. This was my first book by Malerman, and it’s not going to be the last. And I can’t wait to see how well it translates to the big screen when Other Mommy releases later this month.

Incidents Around the House is not only the story of eight-year-old Bela, but it’s also told from her perspective. There are not many books told solely from a child’s perspective, but it gives Incidents Around the House an immediate unique hook. Bela’s narration is innocent, captivating, and very easy to read. It also makes this horror story perhaps less frightening that it could otherwise be, since we’re seeing the events unfold from the eyes of a child.

You see, Bela is frequently visited by an entity she calls “Other Mommy”. This being looks just like her real mommy, but she lives in Bela’s closet, initially only coming out at night. She talks to Bela, makes her laugh, and almost gain’s Bela’s trust. But when Other Mommy begins to ask Bela if she can “go into her heart”, Bela isn’t sure. She wants to trust Other Mommy, but sometimes she can be a bit scary. And when she starts seeing her in other places beyond her bedroom closet, she’s even less sure.

It’s when Bela’s parents catch a glimpse of “Other Mommy” that the action of Incidents Around the House really kicks off. This is a novel that wastes no time with exposition or a slow-burn introduction; the action unfolds almost immediately, and within the first few chapters it’s firing on all cylinders. Malerman does a great job of balancing fast-paced action with tense, slowburn dread – and narrated in the voice of a child, it manages to be both beautiful and eerie.

Bela’s innocence is juxtaposed well with our own knowledge that Other Mommy is Very Bad. We’ll gasp with anxiety at the moments when Bela wants to trust her, and sigh with relief when she runs away. And when things really heat up – this is a very typical horror, so things definitely do heat up – sensing the terror of her parents from Bela’s eyes adds a new layer entirely. We all remember how terrifying it was as a child to witness your parents experiencing strong negative emotions.

While I wasn’t entirely sold on the ending, I loved Incidents Around the House as a whole. Its unique narration makes it really stand out from the crowd, and despite being firmly in the horror category, it’s not too scary or unsettling that it’s inaccessible to the more squeamish amongst us. This is a good place to start if you’re looking to jump into a horror novel for the first time, I think – although expect it to be something of a gateway to wanting to pick up more. I’ve definitely got more of Malerman’s back catalogue on my Halloween reading list now.