August 2014 Group Read: Bird Box by Josh Malerman

[Alissa]

The Troop is also on my TBR list so im glad to see that its recommended.

I finished Bird Box last night and I LOVED it! Except I finished it at night and I had weird dreams about rowboats

For me, (view spoiler)[ I really think my favorite aspect of the book was that we never find out. We never find out what or who or exactly what happened with why people were going crazy and killing. Normally, that annoys me with books but for this one, it totally worked!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

I still haven't got Bird Box from the library which is driving me crazy. Regarding The Troop, I was really eager to read it, but was rather disappointed once I did.

[Priyadharshini]

I have to pick up the book today from the library can i still join or is
It too late

[ZoeyBB]

You can still join! We were just excited early-birds. It's still August!

[Priyadharshini]

Ok ...:):)

[Tressa]

I finished Bird Box early this morning. I really enjoyed the creep factor of the situation humans were in. What did you all imagine the creatures to look like? In my imagination not sure if I will allow them to be of the same form and features, but the first time I open my eyes to glimpse one I think of a pale, clammy, raw, pungent, crouching gargoyle demon from Hell sitting patiently for me to make eye contact.

I also thought she used the names Boy and Girl to keep herself from getting too attached and to keep them in military fashion for when they need to deal with the situation. I cringed when she'd slap them in the face for small indiscretions.

[Michael]

Got Bird Box last night. About half way through and very much enjoying, though am a little puzzled by some things. Also, found it a bit hard to believe that four years after everything started, the very first day Malorie goes out, she not only encounters a survivor, but a survivor who falls victim to what is happening. Just seemed an unlikely coincidence.

[Priyadharshini]

I got the the book too ...very fast paced ,keeps me turning the pages:)

[ZoeyBB]

Michael wrote: "Got Bird Box last night. About half way through and very much enjoying, though am a little puzzled by some things. Also, found it a bit hard to believe that four years after everything started, the..."

I also found it hard to believe that she somehow managed to continue getting food and eating for four years. It doesn't really talk about that part. She supposedly rampaged neighboring houses and what-not, but for FOUR years?? That was hard for me to swallow. Maybe she hunted? Maybe she grew things in a garden? I suppose it wasn't central to the story, there's four missing years of the story in there.

I'd like a follow up book that goes through the four years of living in fear, squalor, and nightmare conditions in that house with two small children!

[Michael]

SNB wrote: "Michael wrote: "Got Bird Box last night. About half way through and very much enjoying, though am a little puzzled by some things. Also, found it a bit hard to believe that four years after everyth..."
Yeah, I was thinking about that as well. Also wondered about other people. No one ever attacked them in all that time? Like I said earlier, only halfway through so maybe that is coming. Going to go finish reading now!

[Michael]

Finished the book and liked it, but didn't love it. Even that "like" is kind of lukewarm. I actually liked the book quite a bit until about half way through when (view spoiler)[Gary arrived at the house. (hide spoiler)]. More on that in a moment.

Let me start by saying that I always give any book or movie a pass or two on what seem like plot contrivances because I recognize almost every story needs one or two to keep the story moving. In the case of Bird Box, the fact that there is endless supply of electricity because of hydroelectric power is used in this town was the first pass.

I'll also acknowledge that the more I like something, the more willing I am to overlook those contrivances. The less I like something, the less willing I am. So what follows is a long list of things I'm marking Bird Box down for since I thought it was just okay. But I also discuss a few things I thought worked really well. If you're the sort of person who doesn't get bugged by these inconsistencies, my complaints probably won't resonate. Maybe it's because I'm a writer that I get so picky (or would that be pedantic?!) about these issues since I work soooo hard to make sure I avoid plot holes and contrivances in my own work.

To start with, I thought Malerman did an excellent job of setting things up and creating a very creepy atmosphere. I liked the characters of Malorie and Tom and cared very much about the fates of Boy and Girl, and thought naming them thus was a very nice touch. The rest of my comments will be hidden since they are going to touch on a lot of spoilers.

(view spoiler)[...My issues with the book really kicked in with the arrival of Gary and the looooong speech he gave about what he'd been through. Not only did I find that slowed the story down, both his story and his affected way of speaking and the briefcase that was so important to him, made me feel like there was a neon sign flashing over his head saying "BAD MAN! WILL DO VERY BAD THINGS! DON'T LET HIM IN!" So I wasn't the least bit surprised when he turned out to be crazy. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[I thought his character would have been much more effective had he been a member of the house from much earlier on. Rather than telling us about "Frank" going crazy, I think it would have been incredibly suspenseful to actually see that play out in the house. Yes, it sort of did with Don, but not very effectively IMHO, and even when Don does pull down the blankets, we hear it, don't see it, which I thought was less interesting. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Other things that bothered me about Bird Box included the issue of the animals. We know that early on in the invasion? outbreak? the house is reading and listening to every single thing they can about what is happening. We hear tons of reports about what people do when they see the creatures, but nothing about how animals are affected. Really? In all the reports from around the world, animals never went crazy? But now they do? Not buying that. >

(view spoiler)[Still on the subject of animals, Tom and Jules go out for a week and the huskies don't go crazy. Yet later Gary tells Malorie that while he was living outside on their street, he saw the creatures all the time. And when Malorie goes to the bar, Viktor goes crazy, as do the birds on the river. Plus when George did his recording, it caught one of the creatures, so they must be fairly common, except when the author doesn't want them to be. (BTW, how did the house manage to feed two huskies? Those dogs eat a lot of food and the house members were already worried about food and Tom and Jules carried a lot back with them. Did they also carry back fifty pound sacks of dog food? This issue ties into the whole issue of Malorie and how she fed herself and the kids for four years. That's a lot of food.) (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[One last canine related note. I didn't buy it when Malorie was attacked by wolves. First, I find it hard to believe a pack of wolves was living in this town. With most of mankind gone, wolves would have tons of their natural habitat to roam and tons of game. That they would come into town and attack humans (something wolves hardly ever do) struck me as a false note. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Now to say some nice things! While I disliked Gary's arrival, the reveal he had been secretly living in the basement was a very nice twist that I didn't see coming, but totally should have. It was a nice way to bring about the destruction of the house. I also liked that the survivors Malorie is trying to reach turned out to be at a school for the blind. That being said, it's a bit odd (read: another plot hole) that housemates never once wonder about blind people and/or think to try and find someone blind. What a huge advantage a blind person has in this world!

I apologize if my comments went on too long. This is the first group read I've done and I hope I didn't over do my input!

(hide spoiler)]

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[Michael]

I apologize for all of the (view spoiler)s. No matter how I fiddled with the HTML I couldn't get everything under one (view spoiler) and the last two are ghost HTML because there is no code there!

[Tressa]

Michael, I enjoyed reading your thorough comments about the book. I may have missed some details when reading—as I am wont to do quite often, especially when I immerse myself in the atmosphere of a book and not ponder too much about the possible plot holes unless they are glaring—so my comments may be totally off, but here they are:

(view spoiler)[1) I don't think Gary's speech was that long. And since they are hungry for survivors and are more empathetic because of the world they live in now, they are willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure many survivors cling to things we may think are odd, so I don't see that someone having a briefcase or guarding it closely or thinking too much about it or whatever is a red flag.

2) I thought it was creepier and a little more disturbing that the house would have to get used to a newcomer. So the fact that he wasn't a member of the house to begin with didn't bother me at all. And I appreciated the way the curtains were being pulled down and the ruckus downstairs going on while they women were in labor. Made it scarier for me.

3)I can't remember how long reporting went on in the world until all that kind of stuff people do in the civilized, non-dystopian world stops happening. It is a little odd that they wouldn't know how animals are affected.

4) Didn't Gary and the other man get quite a bit of food supplies that last time? We heard about holes appearing in their food shelves, but maybe there was still a lot of food even before they went back out. It's just that there wasn't enough for all of them in the long run and that's why they mentioned they needed more. With just Malorie and her two small children, I can imagine they could sustain themselves for much longer on less food. I have no idea about the dog food. This is one of those things like shaving legs or using the bathroom that people still do but it's not important to the story.

5)Maybe the wolves are somehow affected by the creatures and don't act in a way we think is rational? And maybe the pack of wolves happened to be at the river in this natural habitat you mentioned when some prey came along? I don't find this odd at all.

6)Comparatively speaking, there aren't that many blind people in the world, especially in the area where they are living isolated. It's hard for people with their eyes closed or wearing blindfolds to go a mile for supplies, medicine, and food; I can't imagine them getting up a search party for blind people. (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Tressa wrote: "Michael, I enjoyed reading your thorough comments about the book. I may have missed some details when reading—as I am wont to do quite often, especially when I immerse myself in the atmosphere of a..."

First off, gosh its fun discussing a book like this again! My husband doesn't read much horror, so I don't get to discuss it that often. My comments (please note, not meant as a rebuttal!) are (view spoiler)[

(1) I get what your saying about Gary's speech. But for me as a reader, it just sort of threw a wrench in things to have him stop and tell us all this backstory. It didn't work for me, but clearly did for you. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[

(2)Again, two different ways of seeing things. I would be more disturbed to see someone I know and/or care about start to change and espouse beliefs that frightened me. I think in this situation I would already be suspicious of a stranger. I do think you make an excellent point about the women not knowing what was going on.

(4) Tom and Jules did get food that last time. Hard to know if it could've lasted four years. Would've been nice if the author had addressed.

(5)Wolves definitely could have reacted differently to the creatures, but that brings us back to the question of how animals are affected and the point that the author doesn't address this crucial question until we're pretty far into the story and then the explanation isn't consistent.

(view spoiler)[

(6) I didn't get the sense they were in that isolated of an area. There was a very large school for the blind only twenty miles away after all. And I don't object to their not finding a blind person. It's that the characters never addressed the subject at all, especially since they discussed mental illness. Given their circumstances, seems like the issue of being blind would come up. Look at what the survivors at Tucker did after all. I guess it did come up when Don suggested blinding the babies, but that just reinforces the idea that this topic should've been discussed by the group.

(hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Can someone explain to me how the spoiler html is supposed to work. I'm very familiar with html and have been putting (view spoiler)[ in front of my paragraphs with spoilers and then (hide spoiler)] at the very end. But when I do that it only hides the first paragraph and the only way I can hide the rest is to put (view spoiler)[ in front of each paragraph and now this time I'm also getting a stray ] popping up. Am I doing something wrong is the Goodreads software wonky? Thanks! (hide spoiler)]

[Tressa]

Michael wrote: "Can someone explain to me how the spoiler html is supposed to work. I'm very familiar with html and have been putting [spoilers removed] at the very end. But when I do that it only hides the first ..."

I have no idea why you can't hide entire blocks of text as long as you put < spoiler> (without the first space, of course) at the beginning and < /spoiler> at the very end.

[Tressa]

I guess I brace myself (view spoiler)[for a character's backstory whenever a stranger enters a group of survivors. If the author wants us to know about this person's past and how he got to where he is, he's either going to have to have the character tells us in his own words, or go off on a tangent in the story and give the character how own "this is how it happened" chapter(s).

Bird Box is more of a novella than a novel, and I liked how the stranger came in managed to change Don, one of the most glaringly suspicious people in the house. That should tell us a lot about how dangerous Gary is and in such a short amount of time.

Yes, I am not sure about the rations. I know Malorie did not go on long trips like the final one she took down the river, but I'm wondering if she did manage to raid some of the empty homes in the four years. Or maybe I missed the part in the book where it states she didn't leave the house once. Like I said, sometimes details do get lost on me when I'm engrossed in a story. So I could be totally wrong about the rations and it's true that the author didn't properly address the situation.

But like people every animal could be affected by the creatures in a different manner, even at different times over the years due to aging, hopelessness, fear, desperation. Maybe that's true of the dogs too. So even if they had been studied before it all went to total hell, that doesn't mean the study's results would be the same for every species. I just don't see a problem with the wolves being in the story. Even in real life things just happen that way. (hide spoiler)]

I view this as a friendly book discussion, not a rebuttal at all. This is why people join group reads!

[Kimberly]

Thank you for the spoiler info, Tressa! I kept trying to put some in, and they wouldn't work. I forgot the < in front of the last spoiler.

[Michael]

Regarding the animals, (view spoiler)[ from day one the housematers were glued to the news, the radio, and the internet. Especially George and Tom. My point is that if animals were being affected, they would've been affected at the beginning (or at least soon after) and the news would've been filled with stories of animals killing themselves and the housemates would have known that. To have animals be affected only long after seems awfully convenient and not very believable. (hide spoiler)]

[Tressa]

You're welcome, Kimberly! I'm just glad I figured out how to post the spoiler tags without hiding my instructions in a spoiler tag.

[Tressa]

Michael wrote: "Regarding the animals, [spoilers removed]"

I just don't know. I can't even remember how long people had to acclimate themselves to the situation before it was hard to get real news. Maybe someone else can give some insight on this part of the book. I hope so, I'm interested to hear some theories too.

[[deleted user]]

Michael wrote: "Regarding the animals, [spoilers removed]"

Yeah, I found the inconsistencies a little annoying. (view spoiler)[ I assumed Malerman was going to explain that the animals, due to their lesser intelligence to humans, would actually maintain function when effected by the unknown creatures. This would go along with the theory of people suffering from mental illness not being strongly effected by the creatures either (hide spoiler)]

[Monica]

Mmmm it's interesting to read what you guys think. Like Tressa I didn't mind what Michael calls "plot holes" in the story, because to me they didn't bother the story. (view spoiler)[ The author didn't have to say exactly how Malorie went out every week to get food, and now she was left with only 2 children, considering she also had some left. And if I remember correctly she and her children were eating fishes she took from the river and Boy loved to see them. Also concerning the animals I think there weren't much news scenes in the book and what I thought was that people where more concerned about humans beeings than animals, so it didn't bother me either. (hide spoiler)]

[11811 (Eleven)]

Tressa wrote: "You're welcome, Kimberly! I'm just glad I figured out how to post the spoiler tags without hiding my instructions in a spoiler tag."

I noticed that. Well done. I would have hidden the spoiler instructions somehow.

[Monica]

Stacker wrote: "Monica wrote: "Mmmm it's interesting to read what you guys think. Like Tressa I didn't mind what Michael calls "plot holes" in the story, because to me they didn't bother the story. [spoilers remov..."

Thank you. That was my same thought :)

[Priyadharshini]

Finished reading....was not able to put down the book,very addictive read.

[Tressa]

I couldn't remember if Malorie stated that she had not been out of the house at all in those four years. If she had been outside, I can believe that she had devised some way forage for whatever food they needed to survive. Maybe she realized she couldn't get by forever on such dwindling supplies, and that's why she decided to leave and try to find more people to live among.

I was wondering why there were not more people still living in the area, but realized that the urge to keep your eyes closed or covered for years would be very hard for most people to do. Going crazy and ultimately accepting your fate by looking at the creatures, forgetting not to look, and resisting the urge to look (I'm such a curious cat that I would be a goner an hour into the nightmare) would dwindle the herd pretty quickly.

[Addy]

I'm gonna attempt to finish this tonight. I'm about 80%, so here goes.

[Addy]

Wow, wow, wow, a thousand times! This book blew my mind! Especially, the ending!

[Addy]

My favorite parts were (view spoiler)[the birth. Omg, I never saw that coming. That the housemates end would come to their end during the births. The whole time I wondered how this wud be and also I thought malorie was pregnant with twins, and lets not forget Gary!! Another part was the naming of her kids. I totally understand why she didn't name them. I'm guessing it has something to do with attachment. Just a fantastic read all around! (hide spoiler)]

[Kimberly]

I think that (view spoiler)[ the element of NOT being able to count on the one sense that most of us rely on so much, was what really made the story more "horrific". I wasn't bothered at all by not knowing what the creatures looked like. In fact, I think the story was all the stronger for not knowing the "face" of the threat.

The animals (birds, esp.) reaction was really good--although I can't understand how they didn't come to that knowledge after living so long in the "new world"; how long could they seriously go without hearing a stray bird or dozens going crazy?? (hide spoiler)]

[Rebekah]

I finished this book late into the night. I kept telling myself that I needed to wait until the next day to finish because I had to get up early for work, but I couldn't put this down! I pulled the "one more chapter" excuse until I finished it. I'm glad this was picked for the group read. I was on the fence about reading Bird Box when I first saw it in the bookstore.

(view spoiler)[There were some pretty brutal scenes in this book, but I appreciate it when authors don’t pull punches. One of the saddest parts of the book for me to read was Victor’s death.

I'm actually glad the author didn't describe the physical appearance of the creatures. I was imagining all different variations of "creatures" as I read the book. My idea of what they looked like would morph as I read. I'm sure whatever my mind was imagining was far creepier to me than what would have been described in the book. I think my brain was combining all of those childhood fears of what I thought monsters looked like when I was a kid. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

I really loved this book at the start, but as it went along, the niggles started adding up (Michael covered a lot of them in an earlier comment), and that distracted me. Overall I found it good but not great, and a little draggy in the middle. I wouldn't get the sequel if he does one, but I would pick up an unrelated book by Malerman.

[Meli]

I loved it! It kept me interested and unwilling to put it down. That is saying a lot because my ADHD often gets in the way while I'm reading and my mind wanders into la-la land when a story gets too slow. If there is a sequel, I would read it. I don't feel there is a need to continue the story though, I'm happy with the way it ended.

I'm also glad that (view spoiler)[ the appearance of the creatures was not revealed. It puts us right there with Malorie, fearing what cannot be seen. I was afraid they were going to turn out to be some crazy bird things or birds that have gone mad and started attacking people. (hide spoiler)]

[Ciarán]

I finished it just now (at 2 in the morning, ha) and posted a short review. This was the first group read I participated in and I really appreciated being introduced to this book!

I, like a lot of other members it seems, felt pretty good about it until the ending, after which I was left feeling kind of cheated and unsatisfied. Still, it kept me up reading and was thrilling, and I enjoy that experience, so it was a good read for me.

[Mia]

Just finished this, enjoyed it but didn't love it.

I have a few things that bothered me, how she had so much food for that length of time... And navigating a boat. I also found the end to be anti climatic.

Other then that, some truly scary moments. This book made me feel very claustrophobic. Thanks for another good group read!!

[Ciarán]

Claustrophobic IS a very good way of describing the overall feel of this book. c:

[Walter]

Finished it recently. Thought it was a very good first novel. Will be interesting to see what this gentleman comes up with next.

[Kimberly]

I just started last night...and it's sooooo good. What the heck is going on?! Such a mystery.

[[deleted user]]

Kim wrote: "Andy, Of you liked Bird Box I think you're gonna love The Troop. It contains some of the same elements contained in Bird Box with the exception of adolescent boys gone wild. I really liked it!"

Well I finished The Troop and you're right, I loved it! Although I don't know if I necessarily agree that if you liked one of those two books, it would follow that you would like the other. Bird Box is much more psychological horror, while The Troop relies more on physical revulsion and leaves much less to the imagination. Both are really well written though and the stories rely heavily on the group dynamics among a small collection of people, so in that way yes, there are similarities. In any case, a good book is a good book and they both qualify in mine.

[Kim]

Glad you liked them! Now, for a change of pace; much more disturbing, I would imagine, "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Are you planning on joining us?

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

I started this today. The library had so many holds I'm surprised I got it before the end of the month. I'm at chapter six and I'm itching already to flip ahead in curiosity. But I won't. I think.

[Reese]

Read the book, completed it a couple days ago. It was pretty good in terms of suspense. However, the whole being terrified of "creatures" and never really getting around to more about them, that was frustrating. I don'[t feel like the ending was any kind of closure If a sequel ever came out, I'm not sure I'd waste my time reading it unless the author decided to go into more detail about the creatures.

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Ok, finished.

Sorry, but I didn't like it. Except for Malorie, none of the characters were very real, too many holes in the plot, plus all that pointless unrelieved fear going on and on and on and on....

It became very unpleasant to read, particularly the endless claustrophobic atmosphere.

[Mina]

Just finished this one, and I must say I really liked it, in my opinion it has very good suspense elements, couldn't stop reading it once I got started, and had to force myself to put it down and get some work done.

[[deleted user]]

Kim wrote: "Glad you liked them! Now, for a change of pace; much more disturbing, I would imagine, "We Need to Talk About Kevin." Are you planning on joining us?"

Didn't get around to that one this month, sorry.:( I'm sure I'll have some thoughts to contribute to the discussion of The Troop next month though!