Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Series: Bird Box #1

Publication date: February 10th, 2015

Pages: 260

Spice: N/A

Synopsis:

"A book that demands to be read in a single sitting, and through the cracks between one's fingers. There has never been a horror story quite like this. Josh Malerman truly delivers." -- Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool

Written with the narrative tension of The Road and the exquisite terror of classic Stephen King, Bird Box is a propulsive, edge-of-your-seat horror thriller, set in an apocalyptic near-future world--a masterpiece of suspense from the brilliantly imaginative Josh Malerman.

Something is out there...

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat--blindfolded--with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey--a trip that takes her into the unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motely group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside--and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Interweaving past and present, Malerman's breathtaking debut is a horrific and gripping snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page.

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Plot: It had been a while since I have read a horror book that has gripped me as hard as some of the classic Stephen King books did. Bird Box had me nervous to leave the sanctuary of my own room while I was engrossed in the pages and increasingly happy that I had thick blinds on my windows. Going outside even seemed harrowing because I was so engrossed in Josh Malerman's story that I started to fuse it with my own reality. That is a good indication of a great read. The eerie feeling dripped from the pages and caused an unsettling feeling to grow in the pit of my stomach. Watching Malorie shift from her former self while pregnant to her harrowing journey down the river to supposed safety made me grab my pillow and strangle the life out of it for comfort. There were some parts where I desperately wanted to know what came of certain characters--how did they die, where did they go, what truly happened to them--but that lack of knowledge only made the anxiety of the read that much more delicious. I don't think the author could have done a thing differently with the plot of the book that would have made it irredeemable in my eyes.

Characters: Malorie was a character that you were expected to have slight mixed feelings about. She was drive by her fear and it took her a long time to face it. She conditioned her children to depend on their hearing to the point where she didn't even award them with names. Their future was so tenuous that it felt like she was too afraid to get too attached to them while her guard was up so far. Once you read about her experiences you start to understand why she is the way she is. She had a devastating life. The outcome of her companions was heartbreaking and devastating. I truly loved Tom. He seemed so good for the group as a whole but even he was way too trusting which was a main controversy within the group throughout the book's flashbacks. The author gave each of the characters a specific role in Malorie's story and was masterful in not deviating from their paths.

Writing: There was something within the writing of Malerman's book that manages to harness the panic and turmoil of his characters to the point that you can physical feel what they are as you read along. That has only ever been accomplished by the great Stephen King as far as I have seen. That is a high bar set that he managed to reach with little effort. I think that if he sticks to the method of his writing and keeps that uneasy feel to the way he writes his stories, that he will be just as big a household name as many of the greats of the horror genre.

Overall: I don't think I can come up with much that was subpar in this book. I liked every facet of it. The only thing I would have liked would be if it was longer. If we could delve deeper into the lives of Malorie's companions or the four years that she lived on her own with her children. How did she find that inner strength? How did she keep moving? How did she fight every instinct that a human being has to see the danger lurking around the corner from them? I wanted more. But being as I just discovered that it has a sequel I am hoping those requests will be fulfilled. This is was great horror read and I highly recommend it to any who love books that make you flip the lights on in every single room just to go get a glass of water in the middle of the night.