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A review by emmaward55
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The parallels between this book and the current pandemic genuinely took me by surprise as I read it. A life-changing event that forces people inside, time meaning nothing, schools and wider infrastructure shutting down, tragedy dominating the news... We all recognise these things as part of our own 'new world'.
What unnerves me the most, however, are the conspiracy theorists. The people like Greg and Don who become convinced that safety precautions are unnecessary, that they are smart enough to see this event for what it really is - and who eventually endanger others. Just like the anti-vaxxers who gather together to protest lockdowns, these people come into contact with others and try to take their safety precautions - in this case blindfolds instead of masks - and throw them to the wolves of this changed world.
I couldn't relax my shoulders for the last ten chapters of this book. It was tense, unsettling and morbidly fascinating. If I ever reread it, it'll be when the pandemic is years in the past. For now, I'll think of how the book ends, with strangers coming together to rebuild their world.
What unnerves me the most, however, are the conspiracy theorists. The people like Greg and Don who become convinced that safety precautions are unnecessary, that they are smart enough to see this event for what it really is - and who eventually endanger others. Just like the anti-vaxxers who gather together to protest lockdowns, these people come into contact with others and try to take their safety precautions - in this case blindfolds instead of masks - and throw them to the wolves of this changed world.
I couldn't relax my shoulders for the last ten chapters of this book. It was tense, unsettling and morbidly fascinating. If I ever reread it, it'll be when the pandemic is years in the past. For now, I'll think of how the book ends, with strangers coming together to rebuild their world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Grief
Info on child abuse: Characters discuss blinding babies as a protective measure to prevent them going insane.