Bird Box

This article is about the 2014 novel. For the man-made enclosure, see Nest box.
Bird Box

First edition book cover
Author Josh Malerman
Country United States
Language English
Genre Horror, thriller, post-apocalyptic
Published 27 March 2014 (UK)
31 May 2014 (US)
Publisher Harper Voyager (UK), Ecco (US)
Media type Print, e-book, audiobook
Pages 272 pages
ISBN 0062259652

Bird Box is a 2014 post-apocalyptic novel and the debut work of Josh Malerman, the lead singer of The High Strung.[1] The book was first published in United Kingdom on 27 March 2014 through Harper Voyager and in the United States on 13 May 2014 through Ecco Press and follows a woman who must find a way to guide herself and her children to safety despite the potential threat from an unseen adversary. The story is partially told via flashbacks and takes place three different points in time.

Malerman wrote the rough draft of Bird Box prior to the release of the 2008 M. Night Shyamalan film The Happening and the 2009 film The Road, which caused him to worry that the book "might get lost in the shuffle."[2]

Synopsis

The plot of Bird Box follows the character of Malorie and is set during three different periods of time, the beginning of The Problem (four years prior to the start of the book), just after the birth of the two children, and present day. The following synopsis is laid out in chronological order.

The beginning

Malorie is a young woman that has recently moved in with her sister Shannon. She's dismayed when she discovers that she has become pregnant after having a one night stand, especially as the man will not return her calls. Her sister Shannon has expressed concern over her, especially since there have been multiple accounts of people seeing a strange vision before going mad and brutally attacking the people around them and eventually killing themselves. Malorie initially dismisses this as remote incidents, especially since they originally started in Russia, but is forced to admit that this is a legitimate problem when they can no longer reach their parents on the phone and they begin to hear about similar incidents very close to where they live. By this point the visions are referred to as creatures and the situation as a whole is commonly referred to as "The Problem". Malorie and Shannon discuss going to a nearby refuge that they hear advertised around them, but decide to remain at home for the time being. It's not until Malorie finds Shannon's dead body (it is implied that she saw one of the creatures and killed herself) that she travels to this refuge.

Once there she meets Tom and several other survivors, some of whom are dismayed to discover that she is pregnant and as such will put more of a strain on their limited resources. This concern is further compounded when their neighbor Olympia arrives and states that she is also pregnant. As days pass the group grows more tense as they begin to experience strange noises and physical sensations that they attribute to the unseen creatures. This is never confirmed, as the reasons for these noises and sensations is never seen since everyone wears blindfolds whenever they go outside in order to avoid seeing the creatures. Eventually Tom announces that they need to launch an expedition to find more food and resources and he leaves the house with another group member, returning later with more supplies, some birds, and two Huskies, which he says will provide security along with his dog Victor, as they believe that animals are immune to The Problem. On the way back they encounter a tent in the middle of the road, which ends up belonging to Gary, another survivor.

Gary claims to have come from another refuge but is slow to discuss why he left, something that none of the others question too closely. Malorie is suspicious of him- especially after he begins talking about one of his former refuge members named Frank, who claimed that the creatures were not there to harm them and that people only go insane because they believe that this is what is supposed to happen. She decides that the only way to make sure of this is to go through his belongings, where she discovers that Frank is actually Gary via a notebook that only Frank should possess. Malorie is hesitant to let her housemates know, but eventually confronts Gary one evening. As he is unable to explain why he is in possession of the book, Gary is evicted from the house by the other housemates, a move that upsets a fellow housemate by the name of Don, who had become fond of Gary. Eventually Olympia and Malorie go into labor in the attic (as it is the safest place in the house), during which time the two women are left alone while the others investigate strange noises in the house. Taking advantage of the situation, Gary appears and reveals that Don has been hiding him in the cellar. The two of them took advantage of the chaos and ripped down all of the coverings on the house, which allowed the creatures entrance.

Malorie calls out for the others, only to find that they have all succumbed to the creatures' influence and that she and Olympia are all alone with Gary. Shortly after giving birth to a baby girl Olympia sees one of the creatures, which she describes as beautiful. Malorie manages to give birth to her own baby boy and cover his eyes, after which she manages to get Olympia's daughter and cover her infant's eyes as well. Immediately after this Olympia throws herself out the window while under the influence of the creatures. Through all the noise Malorie hears the phone ring and manages to answer it, which connects her with a survivor named Rick. He says that he's one of 108 people living in a self-contained refuge without any windows and that she should travel there with the infants. He gives her instructions to the refuge via the river, cautioning her that at one point she will have to remove her blindfold to progress. She's hesitant, but Rick tells her to come when she can. Later Malorie goes through the house and finds that everyone else is dead and that Gary has vanished.

After the pregnancy

After the prior events Malorie begins training the children to automatically keep their eyes closed upon waking and to sharpen their hearing so they can hear if anyone or anything approaches and pinpoint its location. Despite the two of them having the names Olympia and Tom, Malorie calls them "Boy" and "Girl" throughout their childhood, as she felt that names were an unnecessary luxury. As she is now by herself, Malorie is forced to forage for supplies on her own. She takes Victor with her and on one trip is forced to flee without him when he begins to go mad, proving that animals are not immune to The Problem.

Present day

One foggy morning Malorie decides to travel down the nearby river in the hopes that the fog will hide them from any potential threats, which include the creatures and Gary, who she believes may try to attack her out of revenge. Things progress well until they run into several hazards, including a man who attacks them after seeing one of the creatures. They continue on until they reach a point in the river where Malorie must remove her blindfold, a concept that terrifies her after she and the children are pelted with the bodies of several birds that have died as a result of having seen a creature. Despite this, she removes the blindfold and manages to guide the three of them to the refuge, where they are met by Rick. Once there Malorie is horrified to find that almost everyone in the sanctuary had deliberately blinded themselves as a form of protection, but Rick assures them that they do not do this anymore and Malorie refers to the children by name, finally relaxing in the knowledge that the three of them are finally safe.

Reception

Critical reception for Bird Box has been positive and Malerman has received comparisons to Stephen King and Jonathan Carroll.[3][4] The AV Club gave the book a B rating, writing "Malerman overreaches a bit in his debut, which could use as much attention to the cast as to the mood, but the mood is chillingly effective. Reading it feels like accepting a dare to walk into a strange place, eyes closed, with no idea who, or what, might be reaching out to make contact."[5]

Awards and nominations

Film adaptation

Film rights to Bird Box were optioned by Universal Studios in 2013, prior to the book's release.[9][10] Scott Stuber and Chris Morgan are set to produce the film, which will be directed by Mama director Andy Muschietti.[10] Screenwriter Eric Heisserer is in negotiations to pen Bird Box's script.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Braun, Liz. "Josh Malerman's horror 'Bird Box' takes flight". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  2. ↑ Spiegelman, Ian. "Author Josh Malerman is more Stoker than Lovecraft". USA Today. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "Bird Box (review)". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Newland, Martin. "Josh Malerman’s Bird Box presents a new take on unseen terror". The National. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Robinson, Tasha. "Josh Malerman overreaches in chilling debut Bird Box". AV Club. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Introducing the 2015 Michigan Notable Books!". Michigan.gov. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "THE JAMES HERBERT AWARD 2015". PanMacmillan. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  8. ↑ "2014 Bram Stoker Awards® Preliminary Ballot Announced". Horror.org. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "DETROIT PROUD: Josh Malerman". CBS. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  10. 1 2 Kit, Borys. "'Mama' Director to Helm Adaptation of 'Bird Box' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  11. ↑ "Eric Heisserer In Talks To Adapt ‘Bird Box’ For Universal". Deadline. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
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