Bird Box: A Novel

Page-turner doesn’t really do it justice. This book is tight, suspenseful, and over-all very entertaining. One of the most fun books I’ve read this year so far. Highly recommend.

Bird Box by John Malerman is absolutely one of the most tensely claustrophobic horror novels I've ever read. Some horror is based on fear of things you see. And some horror is based on fear of things you don't see. Bird Box has a different kind of horror going on - a fear of things that you must not see.Malorie lives in rural Michigan, in a run-down house with two small children. The three of them have not seen or spoken to another human being in four years. All of the windows and doors have been carefully covered over with blankets, tape, paper, tarps, anything to prevent any possibility of ever glimpsing anything outside the house, even by accident. When Malorie has to go outside, she wears a blindfold tied tightly in place. The children sleep with blindfolds in carefully covered pens. Because there are _things_ out there, and to see them, even for a second, means madness and painful torturous death. But the day has come when Malorie and the two children must leave the house, feel their way to a boat on the river, and then blindly make their way down the river, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, there's a place of safety that still exists in the world.The chapters alternate, sometimes in the present, more often in the past as we learn about the events of the preceding five years that led to Malorie's current situation. A lot of what makes Bird Box work is the atmosphere Malerman creates for the reader where he immerses you into a world where there's something out there, something that if seen, even by accident, even for a second, results in murderous insanity and death. Something that no one knows what it looks like because no one who sees it, even indirectly, survives intact to describe it. And you can feel Malorie's mounting apprehension early on in flashbacks as the outside world grows more and more ominous:"It is six months before the children are born. Malorie is showing. Blankets cover every window in the house. The front door is never left unlocked and never left open. Reports of unexplainable events have been surfacing with an alarming frequency. What was once breaking news twice a week now develops every day. Government officials are interviewed on television. Stories from as far east as Maine, as far south as Florida, have both sisters now taking precautions. Shannon, who visits dozens of blogs daily, fears a mishmash of ideas, a little bit of everything she reads. Malorie doesn't know what to believe. New stories appear hourly online. It's the only thing anybody talks about on social media and it's the only topic on the news pages. New websites are devoted entirely to the evolution of information on the subject. One site features only a global map, with small red faces placed upon the cities in which something occurred. Last time Malorie checked, there were more than three hundred faces. Online, they are calling it 'the Problem.' There exists the widespread communal belief that whatever 'the Problem' is, it definitely begins when a person _sees_ something.-- Malorie resisted believing it as long as she could. The sisters argued constantly, Malorie citing the pages the derided mass hysteria, Shannon citing everything else. But soon Malorie had to relent, when the pages she frequented began to run stories about their own loved ones, and the authors of these pages stepped forward to admit some concern.-- Cracks, Malorie thought then. Showing even in the skeptics.-- Days passed in which Malorie experienced a sort of double life. Neither sister left the house anymore. Both made sure the windows were covered. They watched CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News until they physically couldn't watch the same stories repeating themselves. And while Shannon grew more serious, and even grave, Malorie held on toe a pinch of hope that this would all simply go away.-- But it didn't. And it got worse.-- Three months into living like shut-ins, Malorie and Shannon's worse fears came true when their parents stopped answering their phone. They didn't answer e-mails either.-- Malorie wanted to drive north to the Upper Peninsula. But Shannon refused.-- "We're just going to have to hope they're being safe, Malorie. We're going to have to hope their phone was shut off. Driving anywhere right now would be dumb. Even to the store, and driving nine hours would be suicide."-- 'The Problem' always resulted in suicide. Fox News had reported the word so often that they were now using synonyms. 'Self-destruction.' 'Self-immolation.' 'Hari-Kari.' One anchorman described it as 'personal erasing,' a phrase that did not catch on. Instructions from the government were reprinted on the screen. A national curfew was mandated. People were advised to lock their doors, cover their windows, and, above all, not to look outside. On the radio, music was replaced entirely with discussions.-- A blackout, Malorie thinks. The world, the outdoors, is being shut down."What's even more remarkable about Bird Box is that it's Malerman's first novel. It was nominated this year for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, a nomination that was well deserved.Highly, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a novel that will literally make you afraid to look up or turn around.

This book is beyond well written. It is a work of true literary art. The author conveys true suspense and the feelings of dread and a dash of Hope. One reads it and feels as though they are there. I am a very avid reader, so very few authors can impress me with how they really touch a readers heart and mind.Josh Malerman has created a book that deserves the praise it has received. It is truly original, it is truly horrific, it explores the boundaries of The human experience and does an excellent job of creating a world that is both frightening and very believable.The depth that he plums is extraordinary, and his characters, in particular Mallorie, are excellently conceived. The myriad of ideas that he placed into his book are that of a person who is extremely intelligent and perceptive. His imagination gives this book a very good view of the world he created. He is an excellent author.This book is definitely what I consider to be a must-read, even though I am not particularly a fan of post-apocalyptic novels. This is likely because it is so much more than that. It is a very thoughtful and human look and experience. I felt like I was right next to Mallorie the entire time. It explores so many aspects of what it means to be human and how far out instinct for survival will go. It is an extraordinary good novel and one that I fully recommend. And I wait with bated breath for the next novel by Josh Malerman. On a very personal note, having been born in the upper peninsula of Michigan, (hence my usage of the word "Yooper") I have often thought that if there were ever an apocalyptic situation it would be someone from the U.P. who would be one of the survivors. Why, you might ask? Because the Upper Peninsula is nothing like the lower portion. This magnificent homeland of mine is a harsh and beautifully brutal place. This is an untamed place where nature is still in charge. It is a place like no other I have seen, and I miss it mightily living in Suburban Detroit. I fell in love with a Troll (unflattering nickname for those who live south of the Mackinaw Bridge😉) and our marriage of twenty years separates me from my beloved homeland. It's 450 miles and a long 8 hour journey away, sadly. You will find that Yoopers are kind, but children are not coddled and they are taught from a young age how to navigate in such a place. It is beyond beautiful, yet the winters are heavy, long and unforgiving. The weather is capricious in any season and one must be prepared at all times. It is sparsely populated, and Marquette is the largest city with less than 40,000 residents. I grew up right near Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. It is a place of raw and magnificent power, and the lake is a place we are taught to love and respect. As I wrote earlier, if you ever have the chance to go there, I strongly suggest that you do.I realize that I have reviewed the U.P. as much as I have the novel. I apologise if that's an annoyance. It's just that for a book to be so wonderful featuring a protagonist from my homeland is overwhelmingly touching. So few people know about the U.P. and I want people to know what they are missing. So, with that, I couldn't be more impressed by the way Josh Malerman wrote this brilliant novel. It has so much to offer and it would be a shame not to take the opportunity to enjoy the experience of reading Bird Box. It's too good to miss.As Always, I wish Happy Reads to All from the Unapologetic Book Junkie😉!

This history is full of mystery and suspense. The final of the film was really surprising. I could imagine.

I really enjoyed this book. I saw the movie adaptation which was a fabulous nerve wrecking watch but the book was even better. Can highly recommend it if you like being scared.

Super thrilling and well written.

If you’ve seen the movie you will no doubt find that the book strays a bit or perhaps the movie did.Josh Malerman shifts from past to present as the chapters flow - the book is well written, dark, bed wetting calamitous - and yet, the pages kept turning. The story flows intense, fearful and plastered with suspense. Josh Malerman meticulously spent time on the details and the details are what held the story on edge - chapter after chapter. Warning - you will be kept to the edge of your seat.- Something is happening, something dark and unknown it’s out there. It’s everywhere. People are dying; family members friends; neighbors. It’s widespread mayhem it’s in the neighborhoods it’s in different continents yet it’s all happening so fast, too fast. It’s unfathomable. One look and it’s the end.- Malorie a strong rational and unwavering female character, devastated by the new world and torn both mentally and physically by her pregnancy and the life she now lives - the one she knew and the one she’s yet to face with her Children.The story hits you on a very different level; you see humanity at its very best and sometimes its worst. The story engrosses you, the characters become real - you become present in the moments, you’re there now. You endured her challenges, her actions, her thoughts, and her decisions. You begin to feel her physical and emotional pains, her grief’s and her fears. Her fear of all that happened, her fear of what is yet to come. You become her, you’ve stepped in her shoes - you become Malorie.- The book bounds you to the brink of survival, the limits of the human capacity. In the face of devastation, it illustrates the power to push forward in a very unknown world with unknown dark creatures. It demonstrates core human instinct for moving on regardless of the darkness that surrounds the house, the horrific attempts in search for food, water, basic supplies, and alas the journey on the river.- The story however fell rather flat at the end. Throughout the book, chapter after chapter were all well developed. The ending however lacked tempo. There’s much left unanswered on this book. Who are the creatures? What do they want? Why are they here? Why are they killing us...? So many questions, there must be a part 2.Overall great book, Interesting narrative, Page-turner. A must read. Rated 5 stars. Looking forward to a part 2.Niko

[lu en anglais] j'étais sceptique au départ vu tout le tintouin fait autour du film de Netflix et je ne m'attendais pas à grand chose.En vérité ce premier roman de Malerman est remarquablement bien écrit avec une plume minimaliste qui rend l'ambiance encore plus angoissante. Ça faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas été aussi éprouvée pendant une lecture.Le film par contre ne vaut pas grand chose puisque le fait de voir est totalement contradictoire avec ce qui fait la terreur de ce livre.