Book Review: I Found Puppets Living in my Apartment Walls by Ben Farthing
This is a title that has been on my TBR shelf forever. I was lucky enough to get an ARC, but that was right around the time I was discovering that reading from screens was partially responsible for my chronic headaches. I could have been on the train early, and missed my shot. But I’ve heard nothing but great things for this title since then, and my curiosity has remained piqued.
When I was lucky enough to meet Ben Farthing, I decided to pick up a physical copy so I could finally see what all the fuss was about. Let me just say first and foremost, it was well worth the hype.
I was a touch worried that I wouldn’t have enough nostalgia for shows like Sesame Street or The Muppets for this to play off of, since that seemed to be what it was tapping into. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the story reads like an early 2010s creepypasta—something that I have a lot of nostalgia for. (And really, with a title like this, I could see it being posted to r/nosleep back in the day.)
Like any book, is had strengths and weaknesses. I loved the premise, the world building, and I thought the end was absolutely perfect. (It’s definitely not what I was expecting, and I love when a book can catch me by surprise.) I do wish some of the characters had been fleshed out more, and that we hadn’t needed so much exposition wedged in through dialogue when it came to the reveal.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It made for a quick read, was a wild ride, and it’s one that I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for some unconventional puppet horror. ‘Unconventional puppet horror’ is not something I knew I was looking for, but with FNAF knock offs feeling all the rage all the time, I loved that this offered a stranger and more unique source of terror than animatronics-gone-rogue.
Review by Cat Voleur
Instagram: @catvoleur
