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
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 same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must 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 on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer.
Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror told by the child Bela. A story about a family as haunted as their home.
I wrote about this in my journal because I needed to rush out thoughts before I went to bed:
Book from a child’s perspective.
How do I put it— I feel like it’s a book about innocence and home conflict. They try everything to keep Other Mommy away— fight, stab, and tell Bela the devastating truth of her parentage (“to “remove her innocence”). A child who is forced to grow up too fast, feeling like she needs to care for everyone the way they care for her. In order to save her family, she allows Other Mommy to go into her heart. Other Mommy has been promising to act and say all the right things so Bela won’t have to worry about her parents hurting or being hurt. Every time some conflict between her parents happens, the monster is there. At first to reassure. Then to fight back. It’s Bela’s reaction to her family slowly falling apart. By letting Other Mommy in, she goes somewhere else— to pass on her trauma. She will have been replaced by a grown person, and she will be some other kid’s Other Mommy.
(Wait— she’s 8? I legit thought she was four or five?! It’s written from a VERY young perspective. 8 year olds are far more advance.)
Writing-wise, a bit miffed. My expectations were… incidents around the house. A flair. A fright. I have never spoken to an 8 year old like this. Has this guy ever met a child? Short, choppy sentences with no punctuation— it gets confusing at times and BRO okay so—
for the love of fuck, please do not make walls of text. I understand the stylistic intent. Bro. It was rough.
I think another revision and editing is in order. It seemed to have a lot of potential and my analysis remains. I genuinely felt bad for Bela. No one really every listened to her, and she often had to shout to be heard. She was lonely and had no friends she could count on. Her parents used her like a confessional. Other Mommy took advantage and I wonder if perhaps this is why so much media do not have people react “realistically”— it kind of sucks.
Half the book is hoping for a steady build up, but watching it jump the shark. The other half is just sitting and going, well fuck, imagine if you could repel a ghost with guard dogs. I read it fast because of the stuff writing.
Okay, journal entry transcribed. Yeah, this kid is eight fucking years old and behaves and speaks and interprets the world like a toddler. It’s a bit heavy handed with everything and thanks to the simplistic writing style, it’s a fast read. I don’t think it was worth it, but hey, I read it.
