With all of the hype of the Netflix movie, and knowing that my fellow readers consider it to be one of the scarier books they have read, I wanted to experience Bird Box before I did anything else. Unfortunately, I was unable to avoid all of the spoilers out there while I was reading it, so I know my feelings about the story are not what they could be had I been able to finish it without knowing anything.
First, the dislikes. I am not a fan of the ending. I feel like it is anti-climatic. We spend all this time following Malorie in the past as she adapts to this new world of darkness and enclosure that we are genuinely vested in her present trip to safety. We want her to succeed and find that freedom she wants for her children. However, I don’t feel she finds it. Sure, there are signs she feels comfortable in her new surroundings to relax the rules, but I feel like the ending is a bit of a copout. I don’t expect closure, but I do think Mr. Malerman could give us a bit more than he did.
I also struggle with what message Mr. Malerman is trying to share. Because he makes Malorie so capable, is he trying to show that being blind is not a handicap? Or is the fact that people fear not being able to see almost as much as they fear the creatures a dig at those who are blind? Then there is Gary and his crazy person theory. Doesn’t it stigmatize those with mental health issues? I cannot discuss this in greater detail without giving away a key plot point, but I am not certain Gary’s theory is a good thing. I almost feel as if Gary’s argument damns those with mental health issues more than the creatures ever could.
Now, the likes. I do think Mr. Malerman did an awful lot with his sparse prose. We may not know what the creatures look like but damn if they are not some of the most terrifying beings to grace the written page. There may not be much in character development, but we still know each person’s inherent faults and strengths. We may not know exactly what hell Malorie is going through trying to navigate her way down a river while blindfolded, but we can certainly close our eyes and try to do something as simple as walking around our house without hurting ourselves to understand the gargantuan amounts of inner strength it takes to undertake such a journey. There is not much in exposition, but we know each and every change in the area because of the creatures. We understand the breakdown of society and just how miraculous the idea of a small group of people living together in relative harmony truly is. Mr. Malerman establishes this knowledge with few words and fewer descriptions, spending most of his time on actions and thoughts. It is an impressive bit of storytelling.
Is it scary? I have heard the movie is not scary. I do think the book is terrifying in that way that only the unknown can be. To the sighted, living in a world without sight is one of the scariest things that can happen, and Mr. Malerman plays on that fear of the unknown something that lies in the dark. That being said, the story did not keep me up at night, nor did it cause nightmares. I stayed up past my bedtime solely because I wanted to know what happens and not because I was terrified to close my eyes. I can also say that I doubt I have the mental strength to remain hidden behind boarded-up windows and doors. My curiosity to know who or what is out there would get the better of me, and I most definitely do not have it in me to train my children as Malorie did. Recognizing this in myself makes me appreciate Malorie’s journey that much more.
There was a lot of talk online about the book being about race but I don’t see it and I don’t think the author ever claimed that either. In my head, I felt like that point of the story was simply that some of the scariest things our there are the unseen. The hatred that seethes within a person until it’s too late. Mental illness that goes untreated until it propels a person to do the unthinkable. I felt like the movie did an decent job of setting the tone but it took some leaps that were ridiculous and all these memes that have resulted are interesting. Why so many memes? Just because of its popularity?
About race? I don’t see that. I agree that the point is the scariest things are those we can’t see or the unknown. I’m still not certain how I feel about what it says about mental illness though.
The memes are entirely because of the movie’s popularity. That’s how we measure popularity these days, it seems.
I’ve owned the book for a while, but haven’t taken the time to read it. I do want to read it now, but I’m a little on the fence about the movie. I am a little fascinated with the blind aspect. And, yes, I think that is something most everyone is fearful of.
My Mom had a good friend who was blind since she was a small child. She was an amazing woman. She was an avid gardener and could tell about plants and flowers from smelling and a bit of taste of them. She also traveled from Texas as a young woman to Philadelphia to attend college and then moved to New York City by herself to live and work. She passed away this last year and at her memorial service, her son mentioned that his mother was in New York when they had the 1965 blackout. He said that his mother and other friends of hers who were blind and used to navigating the city without sight helped others to manage during those hours. He said his Mom was used to walking the streets and her apartment house, etc., with her cane and her other senses. He told us she talked about how it gave others a bit of a feeling for how blind people managed every single day. I, quite frankly, can’t imagine. This woman (and I’ll stop here) delivered that son in a New York apartment by herself before her husband could get home and take her to the hospital. As I said, she was fairly amazing.
Your friend is why I think sighted people are unreasonably fearful of going blind. It would be different, and it would most definitely require major adjustments, but I don’t see it as the ultimate fear. And it saddens me that Mr. Malerman capitalizes on that fear in his story. There are much worse things to fear.
I have to admit, this is not one I’m even remotely interested in. The book seems more interesting than the movie, but the premise is just too farfetched for me.
The premise seems like it could be plausible at first, but I do understand your point. I struggled most with the idea that children age four could go their entire lives without looking outside. We all know what a child’s curiosity is like and the stubborn streak that sets in around age two as they want to do everything themselves. I know this is partly the point to Malorie’s internal struggles, but I shudder to think of what she did to scare those children into submission when to submit is the last thing a two-year-old wants to do.
Have you watched the movie now or are you planning to? I’m interested in your thoughts when comparing them.
I enjoyed the book, even with the anticlimactic ending, but the movie was lacking. I was saddened by the changes to the story and sequence of events. And it wasn’t nearly as terrifying as it should be. I wonder if people who watch only the movie fond it scary or not?
I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed the narrator.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I know too many people who think the movie is disappointing and not scary at all. In fact, one coworker mentioned his wife watched the entire thing and cannot watch scary movies at all. I sort of want to watch it with my husband to get his take on it, but I think he has read a bunch of spoilers already so I wouldn’t get a pure reaction from him.