Horror Annotation: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

BIRD BOX

By Josh Malerman

SYNOPSIS: 

What is happening out there?

Nobody knows what is doing it or why, but when you open your eyes outside you go violently, self-destructively mad.

In a world where everyone has become agoraphobic, and sight is a curse, what price would you pay to maintain your sanity? What about the sanity of your children?

Malorie has raised her children in the safety of the house, alone, but the time has come to venture blind along the river, toward a rumored safe house. Along the way she and her young children will have to face the terrors of the unknown, while overcoming the crippling memories which serve as a constant reminder of what happens to people who open their eyes.

CHARACTERISTICS/APPEAL:

·      Mood: The mood is dark and suspenseful. The horror in this book comes not from what is explained but what is left unexplained. Like the characters, we are left with the psychological terror that we inflict on ourselves when we can’t picture what it is that we are supposed to be afraid of, or understand it’s motivation to harm us.

·      Violence: This book has a moderate amount of violence. The majority of the horror stems from the unknown; however, when there is violence, it is graphic. Violence is inflicted by the human’s driven mad, the animals who have taken over the outside, and the “creatures.”

·      Relationships: The characters of this book are driven by the relationships that they develop with one another in these apocalyptic times. Those relationships contain the power of redemption, of safety, and of joy or conversely, can be damning, just as maddening as whatever is outside.

·      Pacing: The pacing of the book is inconsistent. Certain sequences are packed with action, suspense and fear, while others tend to move at a more leisurely pace while building the narrative.

·      Setting: This story is told from three settings, all of which include their own horrific implications. The first setting is “the house,” the second the river, and the third, the illustrious safe house. The author constantly rips the reader from the comfort of one setting to the next, adding to the anxiety inducing tone of the book.

READ-A-LIKES:

·      I am Legend by Richard Matheson

·      Threshold by Caitlin R. Kierman

·      Autumn by David Moody

·      Hater by David Moody

·      The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith   Donohue

·      World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters

·      Cell by Stephen King

·      The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

·      Blindness by Jose Saramago

WATCH-A-LIKES:

·      The Walking Dead (TV Series)

·      I am Legend (Film)

·      World War Z (Film)

·      The Road (Film)