Incidents Around the House

A Novel

By: Josh Malerman

Narrated by: Delanie Nicole Gill

“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 (Best Horror Books of 2024, So Far)

A chilling horror novel about a haunting, told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy,” from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

“This book is the monster that lives inside your closet.”—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

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.

©2024 Josh Malerman (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"“A gleeful, mean, old-school scare machine . . . You just have to turn the first page to set it off.”—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and Horror Movie

“A masterwork of unadorned existential terror.”—Zoje Stage, USA Today bestselling author of Baby Teeth

“Josh Malerman is such an insidious architect. I call all of his haunted houses home, and this just might be his most devilish design yet.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of What Kind of Mother and Ghost Eaters

WOW. Brilliant.

I love horror. It's something I've been into since I was young. When I saw a few authors online discussing how excited they were for this book, I immediately added to my preorder list. I was not disappointed.

This book is so unique. It's so REAL. It's insane. I literally had to pause a few times and go for a walk because the suspense was too much.

Story: Bela and her parents, Mommy and Daddo "dad-oh" seem to have an ok life. But Other Mommy lives in Bela's closet and every day asks her if she can go inside her heart. Every day, Bela says no. Other Mommy starts to get angry and terrorize the family. All Bela has to do to make it better is say yes.

This story is told from Bela's point of view. Which means we don't fully understand everything. Other Mommy talks about 'reincarnation' but to Bela, it's 'carnation'. The narrator is absolutely fantastic. I had to look her up and it turns out she is actually a kid. Perfect choice, in my opinion.

There's a lot of family drama going on and I think "Other Mommy" may be a manifestation of the family issues, but then other people see Other Mommy and I thought maybe it is a supernatural story with family drama mixed in. I honestly don't really know. I just know it was AMAZING.

If you're interested in a story told from a child's point of view, no bloody gore, and insane tension, pick this one up.

Creepy But Slightly Disappointing

I kept waiting for a twist or a good way for it to wrap up in the end. Felt the ending could have been better but overall still entertaining.

insane narration

how is this narrator 16? she sounds exactly like a child or adult depending on who is speaking, I totally thought they secretly had 2 narrators 🤯

the story is really fun and engaging, however in the end I felt slightly let down for some reason.

Wow! Amazing book!

Unlike anything I’ve ever read. Truly creepy. May keep the lights on tonight. And every other night.

Creepy story!

Really enjoyed it! Loved the creepy atmosphere and the flow of the story. Narrator did well too

Long and drawn out

The book was okay. Not sure what all the hype was about because for me it just wasn’t anything great. Storyline was slow to get started and then it just seemed to take forever to get anywhere. The narrator was very good but the story was just meh for me.

the narrator was amazing, she tells the story to really make you believe. the book kept me looking behind myself. Great!

I loved the way the stoiwas told. kept me on edge the entire time.

Outstanding

Gripping and terrifying! Amazing read! Finished it in a day. I haven’t been so interested in a long time.

This book is annoying asf

The amount of reputation in this book made me want to actually scream. Also I hated both the parents. This is the first book ever that I had a hard time finishing.

one of the best horror books I've read in a while

I wasn't a big fan of the parents and the mom pissed me off majorly but everything from the narration to the ending made me rate this book 5/5 with my eyes closed !