Bird Box

My interest in reading Bird Box was two-fold: I had the experience of watching the newly released Netflix movie (which was amazing) and the Josh Malerman will be at Stoker Con. Since I got an amazing gift to go to Stoker Con this year I want to make sure to read a lot of the authors that will be featured at this upcoming event. 

I was incredibly patient when I received a gift card for Amazon for Christmas to purchase a copy of the book when it was available on Amazon. With the interest in the book being peaked with the movies popularity, Amazon was out of stock of the book for awhile.

I FINALLY received the book in the mail on January 16, which was also my birthday. It felt like receiving a special gift in the mail.That week was really tough for me because I was REALLY sick with a flu bug. I missed an entire  week of work. In fact, I didn't have the energy to open the book when it first arrived. It wasn't until a few days later when I even had the strength to read the book at all...and I was very pleased with it!!

Bird Box was an emotional roller-coaster for me to read due to the psychological intensity of an apocalyptic novel where it was life threatening for anyone to open their eyes outside. The main character was a mother who was raising 2 children in the realities of that world. Her internal monologue uplifted the moral conflict she faced in needing to prepare her kids for the reality of this threatening world.The pacing was really fast and the description were so vivid that I was sucked completely into this world.

It didn't help that due to being sick and in my apartment by myself how real this world became to me. When my cell phone rang I found myself screaming in terror. When my husband walked through the door at the end of his work day I was so startled that I jumped and threw the book in the air. Upon finishing the book and going to bed I found myself dreaming that I was living in an apocalyptic world triggered by the government shutdown. While the dream also reflected my attitudes towards the current political administration, my dream reflected the plot of Bird Box.

I feel like my reactions to this novel indicate the mastery of terror that Josh Malerman is able to accomplish as a writer in this book. It made me convinced that I was living in a terrifying world. The level of imagination and feeling that I was able to experience reading this book demonstrates what an excellent novel can accomplish. I had previously read his book House at the Bottom of the Lake and really enjoyed that book as well.  Josh Malerman is definitely an author whose work I consider worth watching. I can't wait to read more of his books!