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.
The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig is a story that takes a few plot elements I’ve seen before – in SciFi, fantasy, and thrillers – and reimagines them in an entirely new and thoroughly mind-blowing manner.
The story is told in 3rd person focused narration primarily from the point of view of Nate, Oliver, and Maddie Graves. This family recently moved into Nate’s childhood home upon the death of his father. This narration style kept the story clear and focused and, coupled with the short chapters and fast pace, makes for a quick read despite its near 600 pages.
I love the combination of SciFi, fantasy, and thriller genre elements. Brought together and imagined as only Wendig can do, it creates a fascinating tale that held my attention and pulled me in completely from start to finish. The combination also keeps the story from getting uncomfortably intense since I was too busy marveling at its creativity ever to be brought down to a profoundly dark and disturbing place.
The characters are complex and intricately detailed, from the main characters to each supporting character. Nate survived a childhood full of abuse but stopped the chain of domestic violence with his own son. He is a loving and patient father to Oliver and husband to Maddie. Maddie is an artist with a secret about her artwork that leaves her in equal parts, wonder and fear. And Oliver is their teenage son who feels too much empathy for others’ pain to the point where he has had episodes that led to their decision to move. They are a strong family unit, and that strength will be tested in the most horrifying of ways.
I also loved the ending. At first, I wasn’t sure exactly what to make of it, but I fell in love with the possibilities once it settled in. Of course, I can’t say any more but know that it is as fascinating as the rest of the story to that point.
If you are looking for a story that is packed full of chills and thrills, that will hold you in awe from start to finish and that will stay with you long after you finish it, The Book of Accidents should be your next read.
28 responses to “The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig #BookReview #Paranormal #Scify #Thriller #20booksofsummer21 #ThrillerThursday”
This sounds good 😊
It really is! Such a great blend of genres. I’m still in awe ❤️
This book sounds So good! Definitely a must read!
Fantastic review, Tessa, thank your for sharing it!
Definitely! A eyes-glued-to-the-page type of book. ❤️
Those are usually the best kinds!
This sounds so intriguing and mysterious! Great review! <3
It is! And that is precisely what kept me transfixed from beginning to end ❤️
I’m so happy to see your five-star review, Tessa. This is one I added. A couple GR friends praised it too. Of course I didn’t even realize this had anything to do with Sci Fi either. Excellent review as always. 💜
Thank you! It is such a great blend of genres. So riveting! ❤️
No spoilers but there was one thing about the ending that at first, I didn’t like. But, when I thought about it, as you said, possibilities.
Right? I could almost write a whole book myself just playing off of that ending. ❤️
This one is on my Kindle and waiting. I have two books to read before it, but I can’t wait to dive in. It sounds so unusual!
It is such a unique blending of genres and plot devices. Simply mind-blowing 🤯. Hope you enjoy it even half as much ❤️
Looks like this was a winner for both of us. It blew me away.
Completely! Dean Koontz wrote a book in 2007 called From the Corner of His Eye which I loved so much I still remember it and this book is on the same vein as that one. Such a great blend of genres ❤️
Great review Tessa. I like the sound of this one, but I’m not sure if this is for me or not. I am not a fan of horror, but not sure if that is an element here.
I’m not a fan of horror either and that almost made me take a pass on this one but it’s creepy, not scary. I would say, it’s about as scary as Supernatural- the TV show. It’s got a bit of many different genres – thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, etc… and a strong family bonds theme. It’s not for everybody but I can see where it would appeal to a wide range of readers. It’s absolutely riveting ❤️
Thanks Tessa, that sounds better.
Excellent review, Tessa💜 In addition to all the other elements you enjoyed, I love that the ending made you ponder.
Thank you! It did at that. I love books that do that. They stay with me indefinitely ❤️
Sound so good, has been added to the list 😂
Such an interesting idea to combine all these genres. The synopsis looks great, and your review makes me think this is a book I would enjoy. Thanks!
It is! And it works so well to tell a very compelling story ❤️
Fantastic review Tessa! I have this one on my shelf but was worried since I am not a fan of horror. But happy to hear it’s more creepy than scary!💖
I was never scared and I worried about that too, so you should be okay. It’s well worth taking a chance!
[…] I am adding another horror title for the second week in a row thanks to Tessa @ Tessa Talks Books. Thankfully, my library has the audiobook and I’m in the queue. Wish me […]
This book is making waves, isn’t it? Fabulous review Tessa, adding it surely.
Thank you! It’s quite good ❤️. Such a surprising plot!