Bird Box book review

Bird Box by Josh Malerman
on March 27, 2014
Goodreads

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.

I have to be honest, the only reason I ended up reading Bird Box was because of the Netflix movie. I was so creeped out and in awe of Sandra Bullock’s performance that I wanted to see whether the book had the same effect, and I have to say at no point did this book disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through and although I knew what the ending was, I loved the way that the story worked out and the way it all worked out. I think I would have loved for there to have been more to the story and I did think there was space for a little bit more to happen. I actually think the way the movie dealt with the survivors and their lives.

Considering how there aren’t all that many characters in Bird Box really do keep pushing the story forward, I loved each and every one of them and I rooted for them as much as humanly possible. I wanted each of them to live and I think that was a really important part for me because although some of the people in the house do some really questionable things I feel as though it was understandable given the circumstance. This book really challenges your love for the character, especially Malorie, the main character, especially when you hear about what she has to do to the babies in order to ensure survival. I really struggled with the cruelty of it all, but part of me really knew that it was a necessity.

I think the concept of Bird Box is my favourite and the best bit, I loved the idea that there was something about the fact that there was something out there that was creating this horrendous thing to happen. The book definitely handled the lead up to the survivors a lot better, I think it showed how everything managed to end up the way it did, whereas the film was a little more accidental. I loved the way that there was more about the upbringing of each of the children, I think the fact that I knew what was going on made me more aware of the changes that they had to have made and how they made sure none of the outside world affected them.

I think the worst bits of Bird Box for me would be how quickly everything went to pot, I thought there could have been more of a build-up to everything and I would have liked to have learned more about the other characters and their background before all this happened. One thing I will say that made me a little angry was the use and the death of the dogs in this book, I don’t think they needed to happen and I don’t think they added anything to the story. I just thought it was unnecessary and it kinda ruined the vibe of the story for me.

I would definitely recommend Bird Box, it was one of my favourite reads from last year. It really held my attention and I loved the way the characters all adapted to the situation in completely different ways. I loved the additions to the story and also some of the changes, and both the film and the book deserve all the attention they got!

Have you watched or read Bird Box? What was your favourite bit? Anything jump out as interesting for you? Let me know in the comments.