BIRD BOX
by Josh Malerman
I wish I’d written this ...
... because it breathes new life into a genre I love.
Somewhat reminiscent of the "cosy catastrophes" written by UK authors such as John Wyndham and John Christopher during the fifties and sixties—but much, much more creepy—this novel tells the story of a woman and her two children who're rowing down a river while blindfolded, and of the events that lead up to that circumstance. The novel's "catastrophe" is wonderfully mysterious. Something is out there that sends people insane on sight. Life, then, must be conducted indoors, behind shuttered windows, and those who dare to step outside must do so with their eyes closed, because even a glimpse can kill. Confined, our little group of protagonists has to venture out now and then in order to forage for supplies (mainly canned goods). These scenes are well described and incredibly tense, with the author cleverly teasing but never revealing. Then there's a climactic scene in which two women are giving birth while … well, I'll not spoil it for you, but wow, it's scary as hell and brilliantly written. Despite an ending that feels a little flat (but, in retrospect, it works), this is a terrific novel, genuinely frightening, and one that's packed with brave decisions by the author, all of which pay off in a big way.
From the publisher
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.
