Carole's Monday: The book of accidents

 

Author: Chuck Wendig

Title: The Book of Accidents

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, SCI-FI, Thriller

Format: ebook

Pages: 528

Published: July 20th 2021

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

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.

Review:

This is one of our books for book club. Finally getting back to the book club joys now that the wedding is over!!

We follow Nate and his family. Nate had a terrible childhood and was horribly abused by his father. After his father passes, they decide to move into that house in the country. After moving in things seem to get weird. Maddie, his wife, starts having old memories resurface. Nate seems to be haunted by his father. And then there is Oliver, the son, who makes some normal friends but there is one older boy that is...off. There is something sinister in the tunnels and the mountains. There is also dark magic that will put them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil. They will have to fight for the soul of the family and the world.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I thought this would be an a-typical dark book with ghosts or demons or something....boy....I was partially wrong. There is such a deep complexity that starts to unfurl the further along you get. Much like that sinister tunnel. *shudders*

This was creepy and a little bit scary. At some points, I would put the book down and say, "Damn" and then I would try to explain to my hubby what was going on. There were so many twists and turns...I literally had zero ideas what was going to happen next. 

I will say there is a trigger warning to go along with this. This does talk about abuse quite a bit. Nate had been horribly abused and so was another character(s). There is also a serial killer we run into. Along with some other dark things. I can't spoil it. But yes, there is a touch of gore but not TOO much where it took away from the plot. 

I won't explain it...but I will say that I ended up feeling a little bad for Jake. I get why he was the way he was.

Loved Fig! 

Loved Nate, Maddie, and Oliver. I just wanted them to have the best life. They really deserved it. That poor family. 

Okay. Now...the ending? I have a love-hate with. I cheered about one scene at the very end. But then it was over. I hoping for something for someone, but it didn't come to be and then I felt myself get really, really sad. Sobs!!!! Again...trying not to spoil anything. But yes. It was a cool ending scene, but then it was over and I felt sad. I even waited a whole day before writing this review to see how I ended up feeling. I wanted more. I wanted something for someone and I don't think it'll happen. Unless we get some sort of sequel? However, a sequel would ruin things I think. I loved how everything else ended but one character deserved more.  

Overall, this was a kickass book. It was dark and creepy, but there was a sprinkle of hope throughout. You can't help but root for this family! They really deserve the sun and more. The ending left me...with complicated emotions. Hate and love and all of it in between.  I highly recommend this book to those looking for a thriller with some paranormal/SCI-FI twists and turns. Oof. A rating? Mmmmm......I've been contemplating for over a day about what I want to rate this.....mmmm.....4 stars. I would give it a 5, BUT I am still very conflicted on my feelings for the ending.