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Bird Box
By Josh Malerman
There seems to be a new trend (or at least new to me), where there are two storylines going on at the same time. One is the main story, which kicks off with a strong start that leaves the reader wondering what the hell is going on, a start that feels like I’ve been dropped right in the middle of the story (which is actually the situation); the second storyline is a flashback, leading up to the start of the story. Bird Box is one such story. I find that these stories work really well, it adds to the mystery of the story and keeps me intrigued from the beginning right until the end.
In Bird Box, Josh Malerman has captured the spirt of Alfred Hitchcock. The evil, the violence, the horror is all in the background. He has created a story where the characters and the readers fear “the unknown”. In a world of splatter-punk and graphic content, it’s refreshing to get a story like this. It goes to prove that a great author can still instill fear and tension without the violence and gore; he can frighten his audience with their own minds.
The story centers around Malorie and how she copes with this crazy world. The bouncing back and forth between timelines allowed me to get to know who she was as well as who she became. It was a fantastic way to get to know a character.
Bird Box is one of those books I should have read long ago…but I didn’t. I read it now and I am glad that I did. I was enveloped into the story and could have kept on reading if Josh Malerman had had more to say. But sometimes the story is best with certain things unsaid.
*5 Stars