The Book of Accidents: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - 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 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST - "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 ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Public Library, Library Journal
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.
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.
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Community Reviews
This was a really good read that kept me on the edge of my seat. The book is not what i expected from the title. The turns it took were awesome and just added that extra wtf. I couldn't stop reading. The ending was meh but i can forgive it. Definitely recommend this book if you want something that's out there.
It took until I got to the Blake Crouch-like bits for me get interested. Not what I expected, but not bad.
I started this novel thinking it was going to be a typical supernatural haunted house tale and quickly found out that was not the case! The Book of Accidents is a horror/sciFi novel that touches on generational trauma, abuse, alternate realities, time travel, and what makes strong families. So way more than I was initially prepared for!
This novel is not your regular horror story and I loved that. It was weird, twisty, and honestly such a fun read. There were parts that dragged for me and the characters at times behaved really awkwardly (especially Maddie, who seems like the perfect manic pixie dream girl grown up…) which didn’t make this a 5 star for me, hence the 3 stars. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone either, but to readers that love horror and don’t mind picking up one that crosses so many genres.
4.5 stars. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but it’s definitely going to stick with me for a very long time!
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