Accumulation by Aimee Pokwatka ~ a Review

by MK French

Tennessee Cherish retired from making documentaries and is now a stay-at-home mom moving into a brand new house her husband bought. He's working long hours, leaving her with their two young children. They begin acting out more, and she feels incredibly lonely, so she misses the odd things happening in the house. It builds up over time, as do her children's outbursts. Tenn soon realizes that they're caught up in behavior loops, becoming more and more devastating. If she can't find the source of what haunts her family, it might kill them all.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2026; G.P. Putnam's Sons; 79-8217047628
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); psychological thriller

Moving is always stressful, and the family has a lot that goes wrong as they try to adjust. The job that was supposed to allow Ward to work from home also involves calls late at night and longer hours than planned as he tries to solve crises. Odd things are found in the house or go missing, and Tenn's stress levels are increasing. Ours goes up along with hers, too. Behavior starts repeating, from the benign cleaning chores that always need repeating to the more harmful incidents, as long as they're at home. When it continues to escalate, Tenn is left as the primary one to look for why it's happening and how to potentially stop it.

The ghosts are different in this book, with less overt spookiness and more of the kind that influences people's behavior and memories. Tenn always thought of herself as empathetic and easily overstimulated, and here it's because she's "porous," as in someone who can sense and recognize ghosts. There aren't ghost hunters with equipment like we see on TV, but a suffocating presence and sense of dread. It's an interesting concept with a solution that fits the characters. 

Buy Accumulation at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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