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A review by bookishrealm
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
4.0
okay.....4.5 Stars
I have so much to say, but then again I don't feel like I have the words to describe how I feel. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this book and there has been a lot of talk about it simply because of the release of the movie on Netflix. I marked this book as "to be read" a while ago, but I will admit I didn't actually seek to pick it up until the buzz came out about the movie. See, I'm the type of person that usually wants to read a book before viewing the movie. Now that I've read this book, I HIGHLY doubt that I'll even invest time in watching the movie adaptation. So let's start with what this book did right or better yet what I enjoyed the most.
Please be warned that some of this could be spoilers so if you haven't read the book then I wouldn't recommend continue reading.
What I Enjoyed About This Book
*I absolutely loved that this book scared this shit out of me. I know that sounds weird; however, I really have a hard time finding books that actually make me feel creepy. This book constantly made me feel like I was being watched. I had to literally close the doors in my bedroom and the one leading to my bathroom just to feel safe. It was the most unsettling feeling a book has ever given me.
*Malerman gives our lead female character Malorie such a powerful role and when it's all said and done, I think that this book is a strong ode to motherhood and how a woman evolves into not only attempting to save her children, but also falling in love with her children. I didn't realize how powerful of a character Malorie was until she gave birth to her child and took ownership of the other child knowing how difficult it would be to raise them. I think that is a true testimony of any woman that has helped raise children in our very complex world. It is at this point that I realized that the actual identity of the monsters was unimportant. This book strongly was built around the development of our main character and her journey into motherhood. Everything from her perspective was built in reference to her child. It was beautiful. I also think that this book attests to the circle of life. Malorie spent time raising her children, teaching them right from wrong, and how to survive; yet, at the end of the novel she is forced to lean and depend upon of them, hoping that when it is all said and done she has given them enough strength and knowledge to survive. It's like that in real life. Our parents or guardians raise us with hopes of us becoming independent and successful; however, when they get to a certain age they begin to lean on us and depend on us for strength, knowledge, and the difference between right and wrong.
*The writing style was perfect for the atmosphere of the book. The short, choppy sentences and chapters just heightened my senses to what exactly was going. Shit, it made me feel like I was damn blindfolded and attempting to run away from some unseen force. Malerman knew and understood how to effectively play on our old childhood fears of what we can't see except in this situation it is what can be seen that leads to ultimate demise. It makes me wonder about the thought process Malerman went through to consider how being plunged into complete darkness and blindness would affect the human psyche.
What I didn't enjoy?
Honestly there wasn't a lot that I didn't enjoy. This book was phenomenal and I didn't need to know the origin of the monsters to enjoy the book. So with that being said you're probably wondering, why in the hell didn't I give it 5 stars. Well for one, I'm a complete asshole and it's hard to get me to rate a book 5 stars and secondly I just couldn't get behind the lack of explanation regarding Gary. So from my reading, and if you have any other theories please let me know, it appears that Gary was able to walk amongst the monsters because he was already mentally ill. And it makes me question whether Gary had previously dealt with suicidal thoughts which made him immune to the suicidal thoughts pushed on the other characters or I should say better equipped to deal with them. There has to be some link behind the people going mad and then committing suicide. I would have appreciated it if Malerman presented us with a situation in which it was a possibility that individuals who were already identified as having mental illnesses were somehow immune to the effects of the monsters. It would make a lot of sense, but alas we were provided no answers in that regard. It simply makes me wonder if those were his intentions.
With that being said, I really enjoyed the book and I hope that more people get the opportunity to read it. If you're into horror/psychological thrillers then I definitely recommend it.
I have so much to say, but then again I don't feel like I have the words to describe how I feel. There has been a lot of hype surrounding this book and there has been a lot of talk about it simply because of the release of the movie on Netflix. I marked this book as "to be read" a while ago, but I will admit I didn't actually seek to pick it up until the buzz came out about the movie. See, I'm the type of person that usually wants to read a book before viewing the movie. Now that I've read this book, I HIGHLY doubt that I'll even invest time in watching the movie adaptation. So let's start with what this book did right or better yet what I enjoyed the most.
Please be warned that some of this could be spoilers so if you haven't read the book then I wouldn't recommend continue reading.
What I Enjoyed About This Book
*I absolutely loved that this book scared this shit out of me. I know that sounds weird; however, I really have a hard time finding books that actually make me feel creepy. This book constantly made me feel like I was being watched. I had to literally close the doors in my bedroom and the one leading to my bathroom just to feel safe. It was the most unsettling feeling a book has ever given me.
*Malerman gives our lead female character Malorie such a powerful role and when it's all said and done, I think that this book is a strong ode to motherhood and how a woman evolves into not only attempting to save her children, but also falling in love with her children. I didn't realize how powerful of a character Malorie was until she gave birth to her child and took ownership of the other child knowing how difficult it would be to raise them. I think that is a true testimony of any woman that has helped raise children in our very complex world. It is at this point that I realized that the actual identity of the monsters was unimportant. This book strongly was built around the development of our main character and her journey into motherhood. Everything from her perspective was built in reference to her child. It was beautiful. I also think that this book attests to the circle of life. Malorie spent time raising her children, teaching them right from wrong, and how to survive; yet, at the end of the novel she is forced to lean and depend upon of them, hoping that when it is all said and done she has given them enough strength and knowledge to survive. It's like that in real life. Our parents or guardians raise us with hopes of us becoming independent and successful; however, when they get to a certain age they begin to lean on us and depend on us for strength, knowledge, and the difference between right and wrong.
*The writing style was perfect for the atmosphere of the book. The short, choppy sentences and chapters just heightened my senses to what exactly was going. Shit, it made me feel like I was damn blindfolded and attempting to run away from some unseen force. Malerman knew and understood how to effectively play on our old childhood fears of what we can't see except in this situation it is what can be seen that leads to ultimate demise. It makes me wonder about the thought process Malerman went through to consider how being plunged into complete darkness and blindness would affect the human psyche.
What I didn't enjoy?
Honestly there wasn't a lot that I didn't enjoy. This book was phenomenal and I didn't need to know the origin of the monsters to enjoy the book. So with that being said you're probably wondering, why in the hell didn't I give it 5 stars. Well for one, I'm a complete asshole and it's hard to get me to rate a book 5 stars and secondly I just couldn't get behind the lack of explanation regarding Gary. So from my reading, and if you have any other theories please let me know, it appears that Gary was able to walk amongst the monsters because he was already mentally ill. And it makes me question whether Gary had previously dealt with suicidal thoughts which made him immune to the suicidal thoughts pushed on the other characters or I should say better equipped to deal with them. There has to be some link behind the people going mad and then committing suicide. I would have appreciated it if Malerman presented us with a situation in which it was a possibility that individuals who were already identified as having mental illnesses were somehow immune to the effects of the monsters. It would make a lot of sense, but alas we were provided no answers in that regard. It simply makes me wonder if those were his intentions.
With that being said, I really enjoyed the book and I hope that more people get the opportunity to read it. If you're into horror/psychological thrillers then I definitely recommend it.