The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig Published by Del Ray on July 20, 2021
Genres: Horror
Pages: 521
Format: eBook
Source: Library
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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
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.
I’ve seen Chuck Wendig’s name around for a while now. I’ve seen him on Twitter and seen reviews for his books. He is one of those authors I’ve always meant to read. I have no idea why I didn’t pick up one of his books until now, but there you have it. I grabbed a new horror novel by him, The Book of Accidents. I’m so glad I did, I really enjoyed this story.
This is one of those stories where you don’t really understand exactly what is happening and things slowly fall into place and you realize that the story is much deeper than you expected. As usual for me, I went into this story knowing very little about it. I didn’t read the blurb, and have skimmed a few reviews. I didn’t completely remember what this book was about. I just knew it was a horror, which leaves a lot of options. I wasn’t sure if this was one of those horror stories that could happen in real life or if it was one with supernatural ties. I did find this is the latter and that there are multiple universes or dimensions, whichever you prefer. There is even some differences in time in the story.
The story is told from several different points of view. You get some from the main family in the story, Maggie and Nate, along with their son, Oliver. There is also Edmund Walker Reese who is a serial killer (can any serial killer only have two names or is always three LOL). There’s also this boy, Jake, he’s older than Oliver, but I don’t know that I would call him a “man” yet.
Anyway, we follow these characters on a twisted tale of weirdness, bad histories, and darkness. It takes a little while to understand where the story is going and how Reese fits in with the story of the family.
I love the family. Nate was raised by an abusive father and how he works so hard not to follow in his father’s footsteps. I also love how Oliver openly talks about therapy and how much it helps him (I think many more people need to be in therapy. It is so much more helpful than people realize). I just found this family wonderful, even with their struggles at times.
Trigger warnings: parental abuse, kidnapping, suicide (not of a main character)
About Chuck Wendig
Chuck Wendig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Star Wars: Aftermath, as well as the Miriam Black thrillers, the Atlanta Burns books, Zer0es/Invasive, Wanderers, and the upcoming Book of Accidents (July 2021). He’s also worked in a variety of other formats, including comics, games, film, and television. A finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the cowriter of the Emmy-nominated digital narrative Collapsus, he is also known for his books about writing. He lives in Pennsyltucky with his family. His agent is Stacia Decker, with Dunow, Carlson and Lerner.
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I started listening to audiobooks when a new book in a series was coming out and I wanted to get a refresher, but didn’t have time to read all the books (I think it was Anita Blake). I fell in love. I stayed with strictly re-reading books that I’d already read for a long time. I eventually tried an audiobook for something that I hadn’t read first and was hooked there too. Now, I listen to audio for both re-reads and first time. I have some series that I’ve given up reading and only listen. I try to get any many books/audiobooks from the library to help save on my budget. Books on CD and the newer digital downloads from the library really allow me to listen more. I then purchase my favorites (because who can wait in line for your favorite book??) and less mainstream books from Audible or some other online retailer.
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Oh wow Melanie this sounds absolutely terrifying. Fantastic review!
It was a very interesting read. It went into a direction I didn’t even know was possible.
Yay. I enjoyed this twisted tale too.
It starts off as such a normal story and then, slowly, gets weirder and weirder. I really enjoyed it.
I’ve seen his name about, too. But, I’m too wussy for this one. I’m glad it was good one for you. LOL, the three-name thing for killers.
Ted Bundy seems like the exception to the three name thing. But it does seem like they all have three names. I don’t know if all of his books are horror or not. I will be checking out more of his work for sure.
I’ve never read one of his books but I have seen him around Twitter.
He is very active on Twitter. I’ve enjoyed his tweets for a while. I’m glad I finally read one of his books.
I feel exactly the same about Wendig’s books – I see them everywhere (and he is great on Twitter!), and I’ve been totally meaning to read one for forever. Sounds like he lived up to the hype!
He really did. I don’t know if all of his books are horror, but if you like horror and/or twisted tales, I highly recommend this one.
I don’t think this is for me, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Yeah, this is a book that won’t be for everyone.
I have never tried him either, but I have seen his name around. One day
I hope to try more of his works.