Accumulation

This unnerving haunted house tale from Pokwatka (The Parliament) elegantly blends domestic drama and psychological horror. Tenn, a former filmmaker who has set aside her ambitions for marriage and motherhood, moves with Ward, her husband of 14 years, and their children into her dream home, which Ward bought for her in hopes of getting their struggling relationship back on track. But as Tenn’s sense of isolation deepens and strange disturbances ripple through the home, she begins to suspect that something malignant has taken root within its walls. Pokwatka pulls taut the line between perception and reality as Tenn questions whether the threat stalking her family is supernatural or born from the quiet accumulation of compromise, expectation, and resentment in her marriage. The author excels at crafting a creepy atmosphere, using shifting perspectives and domestic detail to blur the boundaries between literal haunting and psychological fracture. Though the structural pivots and gradual escalation may test the patience of readers seeking a more immediate payoff, the ambiguity ultimately reinforces the narrative’s emotional core. Interrogating motherhood, identity, and the cost of domestic bliss, this resonant horror story provides much to chew on. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (May)