This was so captivating and scary until about 40% or so. Then it changed tone in a way that replaced spooks with sadness.  

 

Energy: Ashamed. Erratic. Impressionable. 

 

🐕 Howls: Real Mommy with her repetitive self-pitying taking away from the other plot points. Execution of symbolism & commentary around parenthood and marriage (too soon, took away from spooks and became sad and kinda predictable). 

 

🐩 Tail Wags: Creepy goings-on. Seeing the world through a child’s perspective (and being able to infer things as an adult). The concept for Other Mommy. First quarter where Bela doesn’t understand the dangers and her parents are unaware thinking it’s normal kid stuff. Complex parent-child and spousal dynamics. Covert Real Mommy. Overt Other Mommy. Audio narration. The ending. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Michigan, USA

Perspective: An 8-year-old who has lived with Other Mommy all their life. Recently Other Mommy has started to frighten them, but they’re also distracted by their mission to ensure their parents remain in love. Also get the perspective of their actual mother. 

Timeline: Linear. Current. 

🤓 Reader Role: Deep in Bela’s mind, tagging along with her and seeing the world through her perspective.

🗺️ World-Building: Eerie. Atmospheric. Vibes.  

🔥 Fuel: Twists and turns. Escalating stakes. Revelatory backstories. Atmospheric tension. Unreliable narrator (because she’s a kid and doesn’t understand some things). What happens when your imaginary friend turns on you? And is no longer imaginary?

📖 Cred: Gothic-ish psychological speculative. 

 

Stinky bathroom. Family-friendly movie nights. Shadows. Carnations. Muffled party sounds downstairs. Creaking ceiling. Closet doors. Hairy arms. Car rides. Dark nights. Grandma’s house.  

 

Content Heads-Up: Infidelity (descriptive). Alcohol, cannabis use (party). Pet death (very brief recall; cat). Endangered child. 

 

Rep: Ambiguous described Americans. Cisgender. Heterosexual. 

 

📚 Format: Library Audio