I decided to read Bird Box because I heard it mentioned on a podcast and it sounded intriguing. Here is the premise. A catastrophic event has happened. The reader is not told what it is exactly, but we are introduced to a woman named Malorie who is living in a house with a bunch of people. They have been there for a long time and are starting to get on each other’s nerves. They can only go outside if they are wearing blindfolds because there is something outside that will turn you into a violent psychopath if you see it. The book flashes forward five years and Malorie is living in the house with two small children. All of the other people who lived in the house with her are gone. Malorie wants to take the children and leave, but the only way to go is down the river behind the house in a canoe. In order to stay alive, they must make the entire trip blindfolded. Will they be able to survive? Is something following them? What is it?
This book is a perfect example of how to build tension by withholding information. Malorie knows very little about what is happening and the readers are kept just as in the dark. Malerman does a wonderful job at making the reader feel the stress the characters feel when they are outside wearing their blindfolds. Every sound and touch is heightened as the characters try to move around outside. The book is thick with foreboding. I couldn’t put it down once I started.
Overall it is a great read. There are a few things about it that you have to not think about too hard, like navigating a river blindfolded in a canoe. It seems a bit improbable, but the idea of a monster that makes you act violently if you see it is pretty improbable too. The bit at the end of the book was a bit too much for me. I like more ambiguous endings and could’ve done without the last scene. That ‘s just me though. I think most readers like something more concrete at the end and that’s just what Malerman gave them.
I suggest getting hold of a copy of Bird Box. You won’t regret reading this one. Check out the book here.