Incidents Around the House
by Josh Malerman
Some secrets won’t stay buried—they wait... and they watch.
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Incidents Around the House
Josh Malerman
Horror
384
June 5, 2024
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The Quick Look
Told entirely through the eyes of 8-year-old Bela, Incidents Around the House is a masterclass in creeping dread. It’s the kind of horror that doesn’t rely on gore or jump scares—it burrows under your skin and stays there. With a terrifying entity known only as “Other Mommy,” and a family unraveling under the weight of secrets, Josh Malerman delivers one of the most unsettling reads of the year.
- Themes: Family secrets, childhood fear, inherited trauma, the danger of what’s left unsaid.
- Read if you like: The Babadook, Hereditary, creepy dolls and creepier parents, or horror with an emotional core.
- Best for: Readers who enjoy psychological horror, child narrators done well, or anyone looking to be properly unnerved.
- Skip if: You prefer clear-cut explanations, hate unreliable narration, or can’t handle child-in-peril stories.
HEADS UP: This one doesn’t use quotation marks. Personally, I recommend listening to this one. The reader does a phenomenal job.
The Full Review
PLOT & PACING
Bela is a young girl haunted by “Other Mommy”—a sinister figure who whispers terrifying things and wants to “go into her heart.” Told exclusively from Bela’s point of view, the story unfolds with limited understanding, making every moment more chilling. Layered on top of the supernatural is the slow unspooling of family secrets, some of which are revealed in nighttime confessions whispered at the foot of Bela’s bed. The pacing is deliberately slow, feeding the dread drip by drip until you’re begging for release.
CHARACTER & VOICE
Bela is one of the most believable child narrators I’ve read in horror. Her confusion, her innocence, her attempts to make sense of a world filled with shadows—it’s heartbreaking and chilling. The audiobook’s voice actress nails this balance, grounding Bela in reality while letting the terror leak through. The adults around her—especially her parents—are painted with growing unease. Their inability to protect, explain, or even behave like grown-ups makes the horror feel even more helpless.
STYLE & ATMOSPHERE
Malerman’s prose is simple but effective, perfectly suited to a child’s narration. The atmosphere is thick with tension and claustrophobia. There’s something off in every scene—an uncanny wrongness that builds with each page. If The Babadook got under your skin, this one will burrow even deeper.
THEMES & DEPTH
This is more than a haunted house story. It’s a quiet, aching look at how children inherit fear and trauma from sources they often don’t understand. The horrors here aren’t just supernatural—they’re rooted in what parents hide, what they refuse to say aloud, and what they think their children can’t hear. Incidents Around the House is about the dangers of secrets and the devastating ways they echo through a family.
PERSONAL TAKE
I listened to this one on audio, and the narrator brought Bela fully to life. It was unnerving, intimate, and—at times—devastating. “Other Mommy” is easily one of the creepiest horror creations I’ve encountered in a while. I don’t think I’ll ever forget her voice. This isn’t flashy horror. It’s slow, strange, and so deeply unsettling. I was uncomfortable the entire time… and I mean that as a compliment.
The Final Verdict
Properly terrifying, emotionally raw, and eerily believable—Incidents Around the House is the kind of horror that lingers in the corner of your eye long after the final page.
