The Book of Accidents: A Novel
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-09 08:51:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chuck Wendig
- ISBN：0593357302
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Caitlin Scholes
，
The author had a lot of good ideas， I just don’t think they all belonged in the same book。 There was A LOT going on。。 too much。 But。 Some of this was really， really good。 I loved how certain aspects tied together。 I LIKED the ending （the epilogue， I should say） & I liked the characters。 There were some super creepy parts that will stick with me。 This is a 3-starrer for me simply because some parts were ridiculous， WAY over the top and silly， & I couldn’t over look that。 But it was definitely a m The author had a lot of good ideas， I just don’t think they all belonged in the same book。 There was A LOT going on。。 too much。 But。 Some of this was really， really good。 I loved how certain aspects tied together。 I LIKED the ending （the epilogue， I should say） & I liked the characters。 There were some super creepy parts that will stick with me。 This is a 3-starrer for me simply because some parts were ridiculous， WAY over the top and silly， & I couldn’t over look that。 But it was definitely a memorable 3-starrer that I feel like I might ponder for days。 。。。more
Dave
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A unusual （and very good） Horror novel。 Nate and Mattie Graves are doing their best to raise their 15 year old son， Oliver。 They are each fighting personal issues/Demons。 An old horror is rearing it's head again。。。。It may destroy the family and the world as we know it。 -A long book （over 500 pages）that doesn't feel long at all。-Great characters who you come to know and root for-and fear for their safety。 Highly recommended。 A unusual （and very good） Horror novel。 Nate and Mattie Graves are doing their best to raise their 15 year old son， Oliver。 They are each fighting personal issues/Demons。 An old horror is rearing it's head again。。。。It may destroy the family and the world as we know it。 -A long book （over 500 pages）that doesn't feel long at all。-Great characters who you come to know and root for-and fear for their safety。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Katie
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I dnf'd this about 1/3 of the way through。 Lots of people enjoying this book so could just be me but it felt like absolutely nothing was happening and for how long it is I just couldn't keep going at that pace I dnf'd this about 1/3 of the way through。 Lots of people enjoying this book so could just be me but it felt like absolutely nothing was happening and for how long it is I just couldn't keep going at that pace 。。。more
Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin
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Ungth， maybe I’ll try again some day。 Just couldn’t get into it。 Some was ok。 I don’t know…… Possibly reading the physical book would be easier！ Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Amy Rullo
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If you like Stephen King this book is totally for you！ When I picked it up at the library I got it based on the look of the cover…it wasn’t the genre of books I usually read but once I was in it I was intrigued…。so if you like a good The Stand or Shining type story， this book will be right up your alley
Enid
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I liked the story though it was a bit slow going for me， and I did not get that WOW factor out of it。
Monica Hanley
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m marking this review as having a spoiler only because I don’t want to expose how one might feel about the ending。 I won’t actually be giving any details away， but since there are twists and turns- I just had some strong reactions at the close。 That being said…I got a little misty， I barked out laughs， and even had a huge grin plastered on my face …all from just the last hour。 The book as a whole was so much more than I was expecting and I’m so glad I gave it a chance。 I thought it was gonna b I’m marking this review as having a spoiler only because I don’t want to expose how one might feel about the ending。 I won’t actually be giving any details away， but since there are twists and turns- I just had some strong reactions at the close。 That being said…I got a little misty， I barked out laughs， and even had a huge grin plastered on my face …all from just the last hour。 The book as a whole was so much more than I was expecting and I’m so glad I gave it a chance。 I thought it was gonna be a 3 star book with a 5 star cover， but it was so much more than what I expected。 I need to sit with it for a bit but I feel like there are aspects that I would like to revisit now that I know the entire story。 I WILL listen （or physically read） this book again。 A truly engaging story。 Would recommend！！ As an aside， I enjoyed the narrators for this audiobook and I’m super picky！ So that was also a plus。 。。。more
Christopher Tower
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I am giving this 9。4 out of 10。 Wendig's writing is inventive and smart。 Lime WANDERERS， this book starts with a high concept and the explanation is。。。 well， let's say UNEXPECTED。I rarely read book this fast， especially a 500 page book， but this was my vacation in the hammock book and all others texts took a back seat until I finished it。Lots of surprises， strongly differentiated characters， brilliant pacing， and superb figurative language。Loved it。 I highly recommend this book to fans of Stephe I am giving this 9。4 out of 10。 Wendig's writing is inventive and smart。 Lime WANDERERS， this book starts with a high concept and the explanation is。。。 well， let's say UNEXPECTED。I rarely read book this fast， especially a 500 page book， but this was my vacation in the hammock book and all others texts took a back seat until I finished it。Lots of surprises， strongly differentiated characters， brilliant pacing， and superb figurative language。Loved it。 I highly recommend this book to fans of Stephen King and other similar writers。Wendig is a unique voice in the genre and a helluva a writer！！More on my blog of sense of doubt at blogspot。 。。。more
Katie Whitt
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I'm a big fan of alternate dimension stories and this one was great。 The collapsing worlds， the altar and the demon were all great elements。 I really resonated with the discussions of abuse and dealing with it as an adult。 I will say that while I love Wendig he does inject a lot of his own beliefs into the stories， which I mostly think is great but sometimes can be grating。 I also think the way he writes Black characters sometimes feels off。 Overall though this was an excellent read。 I'm a big fan of alternate dimension stories and this one was great。 The collapsing worlds， the altar and the demon were all great elements。 I really resonated with the discussions of abuse and dealing with it as an adult。 I will say that while I love Wendig he does inject a lot of his own beliefs into the stories， which I mostly think is great but sometimes can be grating。 I also think the way he writes Black characters sometimes feels off。 Overall though this was an excellent read。 。。。more
Dan H。
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A HOME RUN。 Think this book is abotu a haunted house， well if you squint， and tilt your head the right way， it kinda is， but not in the way you are thinking。 It is about a man who is haunted by moving back into his childhood home， but it's SO MUCH MORE。 It's a horror story generously seasoned with Sci-Fi Fantasy flavor and I just devoured it。 I cannot recommend it enough。 A HOME RUN。 Think this book is abotu a haunted house， well if you squint， and tilt your head the right way， it kinda is， but not in the way you are thinking。 It is about a man who is haunted by moving back into his childhood home， but it's SO MUCH MORE。 It's a horror story generously seasoned with Sci-Fi Fantasy flavor and I just devoured it。 I cannot recommend it enough。 。。。more
Carla （happiestwhenreading）
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After reading two books by Wendig now， here’s what I know: Wendig is an incredible writer。 He crafts stories and sentences in enticing ways that keep me turning the pages。 I sink into his worlds unconsciously and quickly forget that his genre isn’t really my thing。 That’s an amazing gift and I can appreciate it。However， by the end of both books， I was a little disappointed。 I mean， I;ve been intrigued and engaged for 500+ pages but by the end， I’m not really any of it mattered。 It’s a lot of tim After reading two books by Wendig now， here’s what I know: Wendig is an incredible writer。 He crafts stories and sentences in enticing ways that keep me turning the pages。 I sink into his worlds unconsciously and quickly forget that his genre isn’t really my thing。 That’s an amazing gift and I can appreciate it。However， by the end of both books， I was a little disappointed。 I mean， I;ve been intrigued and engaged for 500+ pages but by the end， I’m not really any of it mattered。 It’s a lot of time committment to feel let down in the end。 So unfortunately， this is probably the end of the road for me and Wendig， but I can see where fans of Stephen King and horror/ghost stories will like this one。 。。。more
James
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Chuck Wendig is quickly becoming one of my favorite speculative fiction authors， especially when it comes to moral allegories。 This had some truly frightening imagery， strong storytelling， and a huge emotional punch at the end。 Leaves room for a sequel too！ A great start to my spooky season reading。
Kate Collins
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I wish I had read this instead of listening to it。 Sometimes it was hard to keep track of what was going on when I was listening。
Jkern
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You can't NOT make comparisons to Stephen King， especially when at least one or two quick references are lovingly placed in there。 It's like if we had a Stephen King writing new books and not hamming it for the benefit and delight of his Constant Readers。 So many similar stylistic touches are used to great effect， giving the scariest， strangest book I've read in quite a while。 Not that Wendig is copying King。。。 there are only so many ways to write a story of this type and to do it well， and they You can't NOT make comparisons to Stephen King， especially when at least one or two quick references are lovingly placed in there。 It's like if we had a Stephen King writing new books and not hamming it for the benefit and delight of his Constant Readers。 So many similar stylistic touches are used to great effect， giving the scariest， strangest book I've read in quite a while。 Not that Wendig is copying King。。。 there are only so many ways to write a story of this type and to do it well， and they use the same literary toolbag。Read it。 A good ride。 Interesting plot concepts， well-executed。 。。。more
Mary
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Started out strong but lost me halfway。 Very similar style to the writing of Stephen King， （but not as good） and quite lengthy as well。 Way too long for me as I was tiring of the sci-fi， alternate world dimension which is not my typical genre。
shaki
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I don't know how I will ever read another book after this one。 I don't know how I will ever read another book after this one。 。。。more
David Way
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I’d say 2。5 stars。 Pretty dumb honestly
Martha Steele
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It started out a bit slow and confusing， but the writing was excellent and the payoff was good。
Erin Boyle
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DNF its not a bad book its just not keeping me entertained and life is too short to read books you arent vibing with
Eryn Strong
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I really enjoyed this book！ Once I had time to read it， I read it so fast。 Definitely a great read to jump into spooky season with and kept me on my toes the whole time。
lily
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3。75 or 4。 Most likely 4。 This is the first Wendig novel I'm reading。 I love his writing style。 The way he describes things just feels like you can cozy up there。。。even if the things he's describing aren't exactly cozy， if you get my drift。But this is captivating。 And you really want to know where this is going to end up。 I will say there was a lot of ground to cover in the last 50-70 pages and the ending is a bit of a puzzler， but I have my guesses as to where he's leading you。 （view spoiler）[ 3。75 or 4。 Most likely 4。 This is the first Wendig novel I'm reading。 I love his writing style。 The way he describes things just feels like you can cozy up there。。。even if the things he's describing aren't exactly cozy， if you get my drift。But this is captivating。 And you really want to know where this is going to end up。 I will say there was a lot of ground to cover in the last 50-70 pages and the ending is a bit of a puzzler， but I have my guesses as to where he's leading you。 （view spoiler）[ I think Nate kills Edmund Reese and then returns through a door Maddie makes。 And returns home to his family because for whatever reason he can return to his world back before this story started。 Or he's not allowed to return and he just goes on killing bad people。 But in my ideal， happy world he kills Edmund & goes home。 （hide spoiler）] This book definitely gives similar vibes to Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky so if you were a fan of that book you'll definitely like this one。 And hey--this one is 200 less pages than that one， I believe。 What， I believe， Wendig is trying to say with this book is deep and I'm not sure I've processed it entirely。 But I do think he's touched on something important in terms of societal commentary。 I definitely need to read more horror that is the same as this one。 But also different。 Because I like the genre but also feel like I've read 3 similar books。 Please drop any recs below。 。。。more
Mel mynightsbooked
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I wanted to like this one more than I did， but I think it comes down to the fact that horror isn’t a genre for me。 This was a case of， it's not me， it's you。 This book just wasn't for me。What I liked:This book is very much literary & the character development is top notch。 The writing is fabulous。The concept of a creepy house， troubled childhoods， and weird things happening was intriguing to me。What didn’t do it for me:The sci-fi horror aspect。 And that comes down to personal preference。 I wanted to like this one more than I did， but I think it comes down to the fact that horror isn’t a genre for me。 This was a case of， it's not me， it's you。 This book just wasn't for me。What I liked:This book is very much literary & the character development is top notch。 The writing is fabulous。The concept of a creepy house， troubled childhoods， and weird things happening was intriguing to me。What didn’t do it for me:The sci-fi horror aspect。 And that comes down to personal preference。 。。。more
LeAnn Monteiro
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Really enjoyed。 Kept me interested until the end
Mandy
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I really wish I would have saved this one for my October TBR list， but I couldn't wait。 The setting for this one is eerie and haunting， and while the writing didn't blow me away， the atmosphere did。 I caught myself holding my breath a few times and had to swap it out for something lighter before bed。 It's been ages since I read it， but The Book of Accidents gave off some serious Pet Sematary vibes。 This was a great mix of horror， paranormal， and sci-fi。。。and it had my head spinning。 The storylin I really wish I would have saved this one for my October TBR list， but I couldn't wait。 The setting for this one is eerie and haunting， and while the writing didn't blow me away， the atmosphere did。 I caught myself holding my breath a few times and had to swap it out for something lighter before bed。 It's been ages since I read it， but The Book of Accidents gave off some serious Pet Sematary vibes。 This was a great mix of horror， paranormal， and sci-fi。。。and it had my head spinning。 The storyline did feel all over the place at times， but ended with a satisfying bang。 。。。more
Ian Carpenter
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3。5 I'd heard a lot of raves about Accidents and this is definitely writing I'm jealous of。。。 maybe because it feels like something I'd like to write but also because it flows so effortlessly。 The mythology is deep， engaging and impressive and when the world first peels apart （well past the 100 page mark） it's almost shocking where the book goes。 But， there's a circularity and repetition here that had me craving resolution and brevity long before it came。 I'm a fan but clocking that The Wanderer 3。5 I'd heard a lot of raves about Accidents and this is definitely writing I'm jealous of。。。 maybe because it feels like something I'd like to write but also because it flows so effortlessly。 The mythology is deep， engaging and impressive and when the world first peels apart （well past the 100 page mark） it's almost shocking where the book goes。 But， there's a circularity and repetition here that had me craving resolution and brevity long before it came。 I'm a fan but clocking that The Wanderers is 800 pages has me thinking it's not for me。 。。。more
Nicole
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This was really good。 It was also very long which is a personal issue I seem to have lately with books over 300 pages。 But this mostly held my attention。 There was a bit from about the 70-90% mark where I started to lose focus a bit and it dragged for me。 I do think the book could have been tightened up a bit but it was a really interesting story and I liked it a lot。 Highly recommend。
Melissa
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Such a strange and bizarre book but you know what？ I loved it。 Every time I put it down， I wanted to pick it back up again。
Amy Hays
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This was quite a ride。 Olly was both the stupidest and smartest person in the room。 And Maddie！ Queen。 I loved the Wanderers and this did not disappoint。
Aundrea Spencer
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I really wanted to love this book。 It's gotten a lot of hype， and it started out very promising。 It was a bit messy， not that scary， and could have used some trimming。 It was far too long， and not succinct enough， although there were moments of brilliance in Chuck Wendig's writing。 I did enjoy the characters， their fierce love and devotion to one another， and the overall message。 I listened to the audiobook， and normally this narrator （George Newbern） is wonderful。 His voice didn't quite work fo I really wanted to love this book。 It's gotten a lot of hype， and it started out very promising。 It was a bit messy， not that scary， and could have used some trimming。 It was far too long， and not succinct enough， although there were moments of brilliance in Chuck Wendig's writing。 I did enjoy the characters， their fierce love and devotion to one another， and the overall message。 I listened to the audiobook， and normally this narrator （George Newbern） is wonderful。 His voice didn't quite work for me for this type of genre however。 。。。more
KB
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