Anybody Home by Michael J. Seidlinger

Synopsis:

A seasoned invader with multiple home invasions under their belt recounts their dark victories while offering tutelage to a new generation of ambitious home invaders eager to make their mark on the annals of criminal history. From initial canvasing to home entry, the reader is complicit in every strangling and shattered window. The fear is inescapable.

Examining the sanctuary of the home and one of the horror genre’s most frightening tropes, Anybody Home? points the camera lens onto the quiet suburbs and its unsuspecting abodes, any of which are potential stages for an invader ambitious enough to make it the scene of the next big crime sensation. Who knows? Their performance just might make it to the silver screen.

Edition:

Paperback ARC sent to me by the publisher (thank you Clash Books for being so awesome!)

Trigger Warnings:

My Thoughts:

Anybody Home? is a very unique story. It is told from a second person perspective, which I at first found challenging. That’s not a very standard method of storytelling, and for good reason (it really can be tough to feel engaged in). But, you want to know something cool? The further I got into the story, the more that perspective felt like it really worked. I definitely felt like I was not just into the story, but actually in it. It was almost disturbingly immersive.

I have NEVER wanted to participate in a home invasion. Not even a little bit. But Anybody Home? sort of forced me to participate in one anyway. I hated it. And I also…loved it? I have to hand it to Seidlinger – he accomplished something very impressive here. He legitimately made me feel like I was somehow complicit in this grotesque performance.

“Even at home, someone…or something, is watching. Always watching.”

I’m not saying I always feel like somebody’s watching me because of Anybody Home? (it’s actually because I know my phone/tablet/tv/probably x-box are legit always watching/listening and I FUCKING KNOW IT SO STOP PRETENDING YOU AREN’T). I’m also not not saying that though. It seriously had me on edge for like a week. Every night I’m like, “Shawn, is the door locked? Are you sure? Like, 100% super sure?” and “I feel like I should look in the closets. Should I check all the closets? There could be people in them, and I don’t like that.”

Rating:

Anybody Home? was both unexpectedly engaging and completely terrifying. Lock your doors and windows, hug your puppy, and never let anyone you love out of your sight ever again. Oh, and don’t open the door or talk to strangers. Ever. Just become a hermit. You’re better off.

Anybody Home?
By Michael J. Seidlinger
CLASH books
Published: August 16, 2021
ISBN: 9781955904094
Paperback
258 Pages