Nothing is normal with the Magus family. They live in Swallowgate House, where names are important and monsters are real and you must never, ever turn clockwise. Mort’s terrifying aunt and charming uncle live there and soon so do Mort, his mother, and his sister. Mort’s mother tells him everything will be fine. She’s lying.Suddenly, not even the crawlspaces that honeycomb the walls are safe, and Mort isn’t sure he can keep protecting his sister . . . or even himself.