Review: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Title: Bird Box

Author: Josh Malerman

Published by: Ecco

Released: 2014

Source: Library

Synopsis: Something is out there, something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse of it, 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 remains, 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's 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. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Interweaving past and present, Bird Box is a snapshot of a world unraveled that will have you racing to the final page. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I finally read it and it did not disappoint. I've been wanting to read Bird Box for the longest time and the Netflix Adaptation gave me that extra push to finally read it so I could then watch the movie. I can't say I was expecting what this book delivered. I'd heard it was scary, so I was thinking a generic kind of horror book, but I was wrong. Bird Box is a slow, quiet kind of scare. It sneaks up on you and wraps its fingers around you. It's not in-your-face, but it's quietly malicious. There's a sense of panic and claustrophobia to it just imagining being deprived of your sense of sight. I really enjoyed it.

I liked how it had that post-apocalyptic vibe to it. I love post-apocalyptic stuff. I also thought the creatures were kind of interesting, because you never got to really see what they were. They could be anywhere, they could be everywhere, and that blindfold was the only thing protecting characters from madness.

Malorie's boat ride down the river was terrifying. That blindness played a large part to it. Not being able to see anything and just imagining all the terrors that could be around you. Without that sense of sight, the mind plays mean tricks. There were parts of her boat ride that were really intense, the ones involving the animals really come to my mind, animals of all kinds.

I also liked going back in time to right when the apocalyptic events were starting, and Malorie's journey to the house with Tom, Don, Cheryl, Olympia, Felix, Jules, and Victor. That whole thing was an interesting storyline to follow and so tragic.

Malorie was a very strong character. All the things she did for those kids, raising them, protecting them all by herself. She might have been tough, but she was determined for them to survive.

Bird Box was an experience that I really enjoyed. I can't put into words all the things I'm feeling and I don't want to spoil things for future readers. Just know, it was an intense ride.

Thoughts on Movie Adaptation: And because I watched the movie just a couple days after finishing the book, I thought I'd discuss it just a little bit. I thought it was a good adaptation. Of course they changed some things, they cut out some bits, added some other bits, but I'm not mad at it. I think it made for a very tense, enjoyable movie. 

I will say, it doesn't quite have the same punch as the book. When it comes to Malorie's raft ride, let's just say that book Malorie had a much tougher time than movie Malorie. I was waiting for the wolves and the birds, but they never came. I think that would have added some really scary scenes to the movie.

But as a movie adaptation, I think it did a pretty good job.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

A Quiet Kind of Terrifying