A family returns to their hometown—and to the dark past that haunts them still—in this masterpiece of literary horror by the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderers
“The dread, the scope, the pacing, the turns—I haven’t felt all this so intensely since The Shining.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians
Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.
Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.
Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.
Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.
And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.
This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another. - from NetGalley.com
“The dread, the scope, the pacing, the turns—I haven’t felt all this so intensely since The Shining.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians
Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.
Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.
Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.
Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.
And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.
This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another. - from NetGalley.com
This review is based on a #NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I am not sure where to start with my thoughts on this book. I have read a couple other series from this author (Mirriam Black, The Heartland Trilogy) and knew Wendig had a somewhat twisted sort of view - which I enjoyed, mind you. But The Book of Accidents has taken me on a roller coaster ride that compares to Stephen King tale. I was looped through supernatural events, with a sadistic twist, thrown into what would be considered a normal family's life. Trying not to spoil anything, but if you are a King fan, you *HAVE* to read this one!
So, I picked this one up, happy to finally been chosen to get an ARC, and I read halfway through it in one sitting, before I had to put it down. At that moment, I realized the train-ride Wendig was taking me on is one I hadn't ridden in quite awhile. I enjoy supernatural stories, even a good horror (if I can find one), but this was just 'a bit more'. The characters' backstories were not real clear at first, as that comes along with the actual storyline, and they never turned deep. The reader doesn't really know what drives them to do/be the way they are, even though we learn 'memories' of theirs that might have made them act a certain way, but not the why. World-building was fine. I think a lot of it was my interpretation of what that area of the geography was like (taking place in a US state, in present time, made it easier) but the detail was in the more specific places an even took place.
I was hoping for a different ending, but was still satisfied with how this one actually came to a close. I fell there is a door sitting slightly ajar, if Wendig wanted to come back and add a second story, but truly this is probably just a stand-alone novel. Normally I would say this is strictly more adult-level reading, but in today's society, upper teens could probably get through and understand some of the actions/situations that take place. I definitely would recommend to any horror, supernatural readers friends you know.
#TheBookofAccidents
