About the Book:

Incidents Around the House is a chilling psychological horror novel that transforms the familiar safety of home into something deeply unsettling. Told through the perspective of a young girl named Bela, the story begins with the appearance of a sinister entity she calls “Other Mommy”—a presence that lurks just beyond the edges of ordinary life and slowly tightens its grip on her family. What initially feels strange and unsettling soon escalates into a terrifying unraveling of trust, reality, and security.

Josh Malerman crafts horror not just from monsters, but from atmosphere, vulnerability, and the distortions of childhood perception. The novel’s intimate point of view creates a sense of creeping dread, forcing readers to experience fear through the eyes of someone too young to fully understand the danger surrounding her. Both emotionally raw and relentlessly tense, Incidents Around the House explores family fractures, trauma, and the terrifying possibility that evil may already be inside the places we feel safest.

About the Author:

Josh Malerman is an American novelist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in contemporary horror. Born in Michigan, Malerman gained international recognition with his debut novel Bird Box (2014), a post-apocalyptic thriller later adapted into the hit Netflix film starring Sandra Bullock.

Malerman’s fiction is known for its claustrophobic tension, psychological unease, and inventive approaches to fear. His novels often focus less on graphic horror and more on atmosphere, uncertainty, and the emotional consequences of terror. Alongside his literary career, Malerman is also the frontman for the rock band The High Strung. Through both music and fiction, his work consistently explores anxiety, obsession, and the unknown lurking just beneath everyday life.

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About the Episode:

Next season, we’re turning the shelves over to you by crafting a list built around listener recommendations—books that stuck with you, challenged you, haunted you, or became impossible to stop thinking about long after the final page.

From literary classics to modern favorites, hidden gems to widely celebrated masterpieces, we’re diving into the stories our community believes deserve to be read.

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About the Book:

Published in 2015, The Sympathizer is a gripping, genre-bending novel that blends espionage, political satire, and psychological drama. The story is told through the confession of an unnamed narrator—a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy—who embeds himself in the South Vietnamese army before fleeing to the United States after the fall of Saigon. From there, he continues his covert work while navigating exile, identity, and divided loyalties.

By turns darkly funny and deeply unsettling, The Sympathizer explores themes of duality, colonialism, war, and the immigrant experience. Nguyen challenges conventional narratives of the Vietnam War, offering a perspective that is both insider and outsider, loyal and subversive. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has been widely praised for its originality, intelligence, and moral complexity.

About the Author:

Viet Thanh Nguyen is a Vietnamese American novelist, essayist, and professor whose work explores memory, war, identity, and diaspora. Born in Vietnam in 1971, Nguyen came to the United States as a refugee after the fall of Saigon, an experience that deeply informs his writing.

In addition to The Sympathizer, Nguyen authored The Refugees (2017), a short story collection, and the sequel The Committed (2021). He is also a prominent public intellectual and critic, contributing essays on culture, politics, and literature to major publications. Nguyen’s work is celebrated for its sharp insight, moral rigor, and its commitment to telling stories that complicate and expand the understanding of history and identity.

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