The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig

☆☆☆☆1/2
.ePUB, 544 pages
Expected Publication: July 20th 2021 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey

About the Book:
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.

My Review:

My first Chuck Wendig book and this story had me enthralled for 500+ pages. It takes something special for that to happen to me. This is an outstanding horror novel. It's a slow burner, that ratchets up the tension. Wendig explores the concept of returning home, especially to face "ghosts" from the past. Chuck Wendig writes very well and draws good characters, so much so that I cared what happened to them. Sociological, psychological and economical meanings were profound, I also liked the meticulous character building. and the best part of this book...it scared the bejaysus out of me. If you're a fan of horror I highly recommend this one.

I did have one little niggle about the book, hence the half star taken off. In the longer chapters the next paragraph would come from the point of view of a completely different character, in a completely different scene. I really didn't like the book would segway into the new scenes that way. At times I had to double check who and what I was reading about. Yet, as I got further into the book I got used to it. I can't wait to see what Wendig comes up with next.

Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Chuck Wendig and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine - Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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