Chapter summaries Incidents Around the House Josh Malerman

Chapter 29 Summary: Gas Station Fears and Other Mommy’s Past

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with the family sleeping in their car at a brightly lit gas station parking lot between Chaps and East Kent. Daddo is in the driver’s seat, Grandma Ruth in the passenger seat, and Mommy in the back with the child narrator. People at the station stare at them, and the child feels that others sense something bad about their family. The child recalls Grandma’s labored breathing during the drive and her admission that she is trying to “process” this situation; Grandma also called the child brave for talking with “that thing” in the bedroom. Mommy corrected the child for calling Other Mommy a woman, stating it would also be wrong to call her a man. Despite that, the child still visualizes Other Mommy as a woman with eyes that were slightly less dark than the rest of the closet interior, remembering their first encounter when Other Mommy said, “Hello there, and who are you?” The child recalls many nights waiting for the closet doors to open, seeing Other Mommy’s eyes, and once hearing her whisper “Peekaboo” beside the bed. The child admitted to liking Other Mommy better when she remained in the closet. Now, the child whispers “Other Mommy” to herself.

Daddo chose the gas station and keeps saying they will figure it out tomorrow, urging optimism. Mommy argued that going home would not change anything because location does not matter, causing the car to fall silent. Grandma mentioned a priest, and Daddo hesitantly brought up the idea of an “occultist,” saying the word slowly. The child realizes the adults do not know what to do. Pressing an ear to the seat to hear her heart, the child worries that someone could get inside her. She reflects on her earlier relationship with Other Mommy: she used to be both excited and scared, often waiting for the entity and thinking of her as a friend. The child wonders if Other Mommy is also angry. After dozing off, she wakes to see a gas station worker checking on them, then apologizing with a hand gesture. The child watches a man washing his car window. As he uses a squeegee, she sees a dripping face on the glass—an upside-down face that stretches down to the wipers. The man wipes the face away, but the child cannot tell if the eyes were removed. Even after the man drives away, she remains uncertain. The child concludes that she and Other Mommy are not friends; she admits that Mommy and Daddo sometimes seem scared of each other too. She remembers once being both excited and scared, but now she just sleeps. The chapter ends with the child reflecting that everyone sometimes wants to scream.

Key Events

  • The family sleeps in their car at a gas station parking lot.
  • The child recalls her first meeting with Other Mommy and their subsequent nightly encounters.
  • Mommy states that Other Mommy is neither a woman nor a man.
  • Daddo mentions the possibility of consulting an occultist.
  • Grandma suggests involving a priest.
  • The child sees a dripping, upside-down face on a car window while a man washes it.
  • The man wipes the face away, but the child cannot confirm whether the entity is gone.
  • The child admits she no longer views Other Mommy as a friend.

Character Development

The child narrator: The child’s emotional arc shifts from childhood excitement about a secret friend to raw fear and uncertainty. She once waited eagerly for Other Mommy and felt a kinship with the entity’s anger, but now she only feels dread. Her internal conflict—between wanting a confidante and recognizing the danger—shows a painful maturation forced by the supernatural crisis.

Daddo: He tries to maintain a composed, optimistic facade by repeating that they will figure it out tomorrow. His suggestion of an occultist, said slowly as if he is unfamiliar with the term, reveals his desperation and lack of conventional solutions.

Mommy: Her statement that Other Mommy cannot be categorized as a woman or a man hints at the entity’s unnatural nature. Her insistence that going home would not help shows her resignation; she is losing hope that they can escape.

Grandma Ruth: She initially tries to process events rationally but ultimately falls back on religious help, proposing a priest. Her compliment about the child’s bravery suggests she sees the child as both vulnerable and strong.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Fear vs. excitement: The child’s changing feelings toward Other Mommy—from eager anticipation to pure terror—underscore the loss of innocence. The entity once offered an outlet for her anger, but now it only threatens.

Entity beyond the home: Other Mommy has followed the family to the gas station, appearing as a dripping face on a car window. This destroys the illusion that staying away from the house offers safety.

Reflection and perception: The face in the car window, seen as a watery distortion, symbolizes how the child’s perception of Other Mommy is slippery and unreliable. She cannot be sure if the eyes are still watching, echoing the pervasive uncertainty of the narrative.

Identity ambiguity: Mommy’s correction that Other Mommy is not a woman or a man reinforces the idea that the entity exists outside human categories, increasing its otherness.

Isolation and public shame: The stares of the gas station workers and customers make the family feel exposed and judged, mirroring their internal shame and helplessness.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal because it strips away the last hope of escape: Other Mommy proves she can manifest outside the house, appearing on a car window far from the family’s home. The child’s honest admission that she is no longer excited—only scared—marks a turning point in her emotional journey. The adults’ fragmented attempts at solutions (optimism, a priest, an occultist) highlight their powerlessness, deepening the story’s atmosphere of dread. The dripping face also introduces a new visual horror, suggesting that the entity can distort everyday objects and places.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does the child narrator begin to question whether Other Mommy is still her friend?
    The child recalls once being excited about Other Mommy and feeling a bond over their shared anger. However, after seeing the dripping face on the car window and realizing that the entity can follow the family anywhere, she admits she is too scared to consider Other Mommy a friend anymore.

  2. What do the adults’ suggestions reveal about their state of mind?
    Daddo clings to false optimism and the vague word “occultist” as a last resort. Mommy sees no point in moving, indicating defeat. Grandma turns to religion. Together, these reactions show that none of the adults have a credible plan, and they are all grasping at straws.

  3. What does the upside-down face on the car window represent?
    The face suggests that Other Mommy is not confined to the house and can appear anywhere, undermining the family’s sense of safety. The fact that the face is distorted and dripping reflects the fragile or unstable nature of the child’s perception and the entity’s unsettling ability to exist in reflections and water.

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