Book: Bird Box - Josh Malerman (2014)

I give this one a 6/10. It could have been a lot scarier, but for what it was, the dread was high, and the end of the book came like a bulldozer.

It’s a short, spooky read that delivers on the thrills and is an interesting concept that is fairly well done. In fact, the film based on this book, going to Netflix in 2018, started a fad of “don’t look, don’t breathe, don’t hear” type films based upon it. It was one of a kind, and the book itself is the first horror book I’ve read that wasn't Stephen King.

Malorie, our main character, is a reliable narrator who goes the distance for her kids, but for the majority of the book, she is a passive, pregnant viewer who cannot and will not take significant action, until she looks into Gary’s suitcase.

I was surprised to see the difference between the book and the film, and the honest thought I have is that they’re both unique in their own ways and great in their own ways. The film has a more logical story, but the book does a better job of maintaining the deep feeling of abandonment that the characters experience throughout their survival story.

My favorite part of the book would probably have to be the delivery scene. It seemed as if the entire world was giving birth in those moments. The weather, the creature, the women, Gary, and even the housemates are giving birth to a new, very small, world order.

Another section in this book I really loved was Malorie's crisis regarding having been a good mother. She questions whether or not her corporal punishments of Boy and Girl were necessary (in this case they were, in order to keep them safe). Another aspect of this was that the kids are named Boy and Girl, likely so that Malorie can't get attached to them, in case she loses them. This harkens back to her character at the beginning of the novella, who seemed quite lonely and aloof from her sister Shannon.

If you’re looking for a one, to two-day read that will spook the hairs on your neck, this is a good one.

Now knowing that there is a sequel to this novel, Malorie, written in 2020, I wonder what could happen next. I'm interested in reading the sequel and writing an additional blog.

-B