What came first, the home or the desire to invade?

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.

PRAISE FOR ANYBODY HOME?

"Do not, under any circumstance, read when you’re alone. One of the most disturbing novels I've read in years."

—Danielle Trussoni, New York Times Book Review

“This book makes Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay look like a cakewalk. This is THE MOST intense psychological horror you have ever read. Seriously. It makes Out by Natsuo Kirino look tame.”

—Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Anybody Home? is an immersive novel that deconstructs home invasions for sport, resulting in addictive commentary on the horror genre itself.”

—Foreword Reviews (Starred Review)

“Harrowing and tremendously upsetting, Anybody Home? flips the home invasion genre on its head for a new generation of readers. I felt like I was reading something I shouldn’t have been reading. You’ll be checking your locks regularly after reading this nasty little morsel.”

—Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

“An ice cold, deadpan zeitgeist nightmare, Michael J. Seidlinger knows, and shows, that even in a lockdown moment, home is the most dangerous place of all. Watch out. Too late. They’re watching you.”

—Kathe Koja, author of The Cipher

"This addictive deconstruction of home invasion stories is so thorough and chilling, Seidlinger may as well have slammed the door on the entire genre. But beyond the torture and violation, Anybody Home? is a nuanced study of the creative process, exploring what it takes to create art that truly resonates."

—BR Yeager, author of Negative Space

"Michael J. Seidlinger is a true innovator. The narrative shards of Anybody Home? cascade over the reader in a collage of troubling, sometimes half-seen images, and the wicked, insinuating, deeply unsettling voice weaves through the back of your mind and crouches in your dreams. A chilling and unforgettable book."

—Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk

"A bone-chilling, immersive horror novel that explores fear, obsession, voyeurism, and senseless violence. Seidlinger takes an ax to the illusion of suburban safety. Unsettling, unflinching, and unforgettable. Anybody Home? is one of the most terrifying books I've ever read."

—Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and Such Sharp Teeth

MICHAEL J. SEIDLINGER is a Filipino American author of Runaways: A Writer's Dilemma, Scream (part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series), and other books. He has written for, among others, Wired, Buzzfeed, Thrillist, Goodreads, The Observer, Polygon, The Believer, and Publishers Weekly. He teaches at Portland State University and has led workshops at Catapult, Kettle Pond Writer's Conference, and Sarah Lawrence.

Find Michael J. Seidlinger on Twitter (@mjseidlinger), Instagram (@michaelseidlinger), Goodreads (@Michael_J_Seidlinger) and his website, michaeljseidlinger.com

OFFICIAL RELEASE AUGUST 2022

ISBN: 9781955904094