Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Need a good freak out? Try Bird Box!

Genres: Horror, Psychological Thriller
Published: 13th May, 2014
Goodreads
Series: N/A
Rating: 4

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.

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The story opens with Malorie and her children in a boat, going fuck knows where. One can only hope that at least they do!

I must say I was wondering how this story is going to play out, considering people can’t leave the house without a blindfold. How is a bunch of people wandering around blind is going to be interesting? Well, fear not, Josh Malerman has figured it all out.

Switching back and forth between before and now, a truly horrifying plot reveals itself. I have to admit, I’m always wary of books like this, and worry that they might not be terrifying enough. I mean, there aren’t things jumping out of the pages to scare you, like movies do. But! The author managed to pull it off brilliantly. I felt claustrophobic when Malorie and her new friends were cooped up in the house with windows covered, was anxious when they ventured outside with their eyes blindfolded, and had this very strong sense of foreboding that the worst has yet to come.

They all had their theories of what might be outside. Whatever it is, one look at them makes you go absolutely crazy and suicidal. The best thing though? For me anyway… We never got to know what exactly happened. I mean, what the hell is more terrifying than something that can make you go mad in a few seconds, but you have no idea what it is, where it is, or why it is doing it.

Since the characters are basically blind when outside, there are lots of descriptions that are playing on your other senses like hearing or smelling. Hats off to the author, really, because they are truly creepy.

I ended up watching the movie as well and surprisingly, I didn’t hate it. Yes, I did roll my eyes a bit over some changes they did, but it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. They sort of worked, I suppose?

Still… the book was better!

Stop changing complete story lines! Just… nope!