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A review by pineapplebunnies
Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
TLDR: the worst couple you know try not to be dysfunctional alcoholics for 1 week challenge
Sooooo I might be too dumb to understand what the hell happened in this book. The descriptions of Other Mommy were definitely unnerving at times, but towards the end, I was so fed up with the parents’ incompetence that OM became the second scariest thing in this family. Like… why not research old traditions on defeating demons? Get in touch with a spiritual leader or demon hunter out of state? I’m sure Sam and Dean Winchester could’ve beaten this thing.
I get that Malerman was probably going for a tale of how familial dysfunction, secrets, and bad parenting lead to destruction… but the ending didn’t reallyyyy stick the landing for me. The sudden escalation of OMkilling Bela’s parents and grandma kind of ruined it for me - felt like all the emphasis on emotional manipulation and trickery was for nothing. Overall, the story had some interesting ideas (and the worlds most frustrating cast of characters… truly giving “people in a horror movie making bad decision after bad decision”) but the third act fell apart for me. And Bela’s narration, while holding moments of being heartbreaking and incisive and terrifying, often felt repetitive and meandering. Overall, I wasn’t as scared of it as I felt I should’ve been, but maybe I watch too much Supernatural for OM to feel like a real threat (seriously, salt circles? Pentagrams? Home brew Exorcism? Nothing??)
PS: if you’re having a hard time picturing Other Mommy like I was, Malerman has a creepy drawing of it on his Twitter. I still think Dean could take it in a fight tho.
Sooooo I might be too dumb to understand what the hell happened in this book. The descriptions of Other Mommy were definitely unnerving at times, but towards the end, I was so fed up with the parents’ incompetence that OM became the second scariest thing in this family. Like… why not research old traditions on defeating demons? Get in touch with a spiritual leader or demon hunter out of state? I’m sure Sam and Dean Winchester could’ve beaten this thing.
I get that Malerman was probably going for a tale of how familial dysfunction, secrets, and bad parenting lead to destruction… but the ending didn’t reallyyyy stick the landing for me. The sudden escalation of OM
PS: if you’re having a hard time picturing Other Mommy like I was, Malerman has a creepy drawing of it on his Twitter. I still think Dean could take it in a fight tho.