Bird Box

This was an excellent read, and had me in total suspense the whole way through.

First, what I didn't like. I would have liked more development of the supporting characters, but I feel like this was sacrificed in the interest of pace, and it really was so perfectly paced so I can't complain too much. I think stopping to spend more time fleshing them out would have thrown the balance off, but it did leave my wanting more.

Next, one of the character's dialogue is written in a way that felt quite out of tone with the rest of the novel and came across almost cartoonish. But, so much else was happening that it didn't give me time to dwell on it, so it wasn't so bad.

Lastly for what I didn't like, the ending was a bit cumbersome to me. It was ultimately satisfying but awkward. It was like it needed to be either streamlined a bit or explored more. It seemed like the author wanted to introduce a few last ideas, which were definitely interesting, but we didn't get to explore them, and they felt a little dropped in your lap.

These are truly very small quibbles, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author builds tension in such a perfect and careful way, and when things hit fever pitch, it just gets absolutely terrifying. The atmosphere of mystery and foreboding is expertly crafted and never lets up, pushing into overdrive in a few of the horrifying and ghoulish setpieces.

Switching back and forth between the past and present was a genius approach and serves to keep the reader guessing and at what Malorie has endured, and how she had ended up in the situation she finds herself in.

Malorie is beautifully and sparingly written. The author allows us to experience her fear, her anxiety, her pain, and vulnerability, but we never lose sense of her courage, her drive to survive and her fierce and protective nurturing for the children, even when it drives her to do things that seem brutal at first.

I thoroughly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a book with a tight, thrilling story, and a tight, foreboding atmosphere, and enjoy books that pose more questions than they answer.