Bird Box

I had no idea what I was in for when I started to read Bird Box. I’d seen the movie, and it was good, but the sheer suspense of the book came as a complete surprise. From the very first page, Josh Malerman has created an atmosphere that balances on a very fine edge between dread and hope.

It’s been a long time since a book kept me turning the pages all night, needing to know what happens and getting completely invested in the characters—even after I’d seen the film version.

Bird Box pulled me straight in and didn’t… show more.

It fascinates me how in a disaster, from one day to the next, nothing is ever the same again.

In Bird Box, where something is turning people violently suicidal, “…it definitely begins when a person sees something.”

At first there’s a rumor in a faraway country, but later the world abruptly changes. Nobody can be outside without a blindfold, millions are dying, and society collapses.

It would be bad enough to literally never see the world outside of your house, but then Malorie has to take a journey on a river…while blindfolded...with two blindfolded children…amidst creatures she knows almost… show more.

This book was pretty intense from start to finish. The author was brilliant in building suspense slowly, making me have dread for all the characters. The scene–birds in a tree killing each other, dead parts falling in the river, and falling on some characters–stayed with me long after I finished the book. The author did a great job of creating memorable moments in a world with few resources, with characters having to keep their eyes closed for safety. Another interesting scene–the description of blood stains in Malorie’s house. It gave me chills down my spine.

This edge-of-your-seat thriller begins five years after the first intrusion of a force so terrifying that it must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. Malorie and her two children survive alone until the youngest is old enough to escape. All blindfolded, they set off by rowboat to a place where they might be safe, relying on Malorie’s wits and the children’s trained ears. The narrative moves between past and present without identifying the source of the madness, unleashed only when a victim sees its source. This debut novel is a gripping work of… show more.

This was recommended to me by a friend after I’d already watched the movie. It took me ages to read it, despite being a firm believer in ‘the book is always better than the film.’ I’m glad I did though! This had one of the scariest ‘monsters’ ever I think, purely because it’s never defined. Reader’s imaginations are forces to be reckoned with, and this book did an excellent job of harnessing that. Check it out!

I love stories about ordinary people who suddenly find themselves in life-threatening peril, and Bird Box is definitely that. I was completely captivated by this book—it’s crisply plotted, well-written, and uniquely terrifying. But it also resonated with me on a deep emotional level, as the main character puts aside her own fears to save her two children. This is a story about self-preservation, but it’s also one about selflessness in its purest form.

I was one of those people that read this one after seeing the popular film on Netflix. While I enjoy the movie a bit better personally, the book adds a lot of depth to the characters and sheds more light on the strange and creepy creatures. I just love the alien and unknowable nature of the monsters in this one, along with the downright creepiness of the people that worship these creatures. I truly can’t wait for them to make a film of the sequel!