Incidents Around the House

A Novel

By: Josh Malerman

Narrated by: Delanie Nicole Gill

Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

“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.

Very good, creepy story

I enjoyed this a lot. It consistently kept up a good, creepy mood, peppered with some scenes with memorably scary imagery. The user of first-person voice from the central little girl was an interesting choice that helped the book feel distinct, in setting the viewpoint as someone who doesn't completely understand all of the themes and events taking place with the older characters around her. I wasn't sure how I would like the audiobook largely being narrated by someone using a child's voice, but it worked well after I got used to it - listen to the other reviewers' advice to slow it down a bit below 1x speed, though. I usually listen to books a little sped up, but this one felt like it was a bit too fast and had some audio issues pop up when played faster than normal.

Aside from that, my only real gripe was that it sagged a bit in the last hour or so, and featured the most examples of its occasional problem of the adults using language that feels overly written and unrealistic. But that wasn't a huge issue, and it wrapped back around to be a solidly creepy ending. Overall, a strong recommendation.

good narrator

It was good listen. The narrator did great drawing you in, however some parts of the story were a little predictable and I was left with so many questions at the end of the story

Wow.

This book was incredible. Very impressed with the actor’s voice work. What a gut punch. Made me really reflect on my life and who I am as a person and parent.

Best Horror book of 2024!

Absolutely amazing book. I loved the story and the narration was just mind blowing. Highly recommended to all horror fans.

YES!

I’ve been waiting for months for this book to be released and I was not disappointed! The story was spooky and I would love for this to be made into a movie. The narration was probably the best that I’ve heard in a long while. I listened to this in less than 24 hours because I just could not stop!

Malerman’s most terrifying tale

This was absolutely chilling and heart wrenching. I devoured the audiobook in one day, and I might just be keeping a light on when I go to sleep tonight…

SLOW DOWN TO .90x SPEED!!!

This book is now one of my new favorites ever! Made me feel for this little girl and her family. Slowing the speed makes it easier to listen to and makes it creepier. The narrator did an amazing job 😊

Really engrossing

I finished this audiobook in a day. It kept me riveted from the start. As the end neared I was hoping it wasn’t going where I thought it was going. It did. Claustrophobic and enthralling. Fantastic all around. Well worth a credit!