I am delighted to share my review today for The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig. I came across this author when I took part in a Blog Tour for The Wanderers, it is an amazing book btw. So when I saw this one I knew I wanted to read more by him, and this one did not disappoint.

This is 15/20 of the #20booksofsummer reading challenge.

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. 

MY REVIEW

When I read Wanderers by Chuck Wendig in 2019 it became my Top Book of the year. Why then has it taken me so long to pick up The Book of Accidents!

This is a fabulous story and one that is a mix of horror, mystery, murder, supernatural and a whole lot of other stuff. The focus is on the Graves family, Father Carl, Mother Maddie and Son Oliver. They have just moved into Carl’s father’s house after his father had died. Carl didn’t have a good relationship with his father, there is bitterness and anger, and even a feeling of being glad that his father had passed away.

Starting a new life away from Philly and being a cop, Nate is hoping for a more relaxed life. One that will allow Maddie to create her art and for Oliver to find some piece from the trauma of being at school. Oliver is a sensitive child, he picks up on others’ feelings and finds it all overwhelming.

The feeling is something that runs deep in this novel, the feeling of something sinister lurking waiting for the author to unleash it. The feeling that there is more to this story than meets the eye. Then there is the feeling of unfinished business and events that are unfolding in the town.

There was a series of murders in the area, and the man was caught, imprisoned and electrocuted. Then the mystery of why the boulder-strewn park is so notorious and why the tunnel is officially a no-go area.

There is a lot going on in this book and the author lays it out in a way that allows you to get to grips with some of the characters before introducing more. There isn’t an over-abundance of characters, instead, there are a lot of subplots, and plots within sub-plots. Again brilliantly executed and allows the reader to keep up to speed even though not necessarily know where the author is planning on going.

This is a horror, and while there are some gory moments, I didn’t find it scary. I was more intrigued by the mysteries and wanted to know what the outcomes would be. The tense and intriguing nature of the story makes this such an addictive read. Mysteries deepen, more questions form and the story goes on a wonderful rollercoaster of a journey.

The synopsis is good to tempt but comes nowhere near to giving anything much away, which is why this is such a vague review. The family concerned is one that I was rooting for, nothing however is guaranteed and I was on tenterhooks for a large part of the story as to what eventualities they would find themselves in.

This is a brilliant story and at 500+ pages it is one that you can really get your teeth into, so to speak. I think this is one that would interest a good many readers as it does span several genres. I thought it was a cracking read and I would absolutely recommend it.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx