Bird Box
First edition book cover
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| Author | Josh Malerman |
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| 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 | |
Bird Box is a 2014 post-apocalyptic novel and the debut work of Josh Malerman, the lead singer of The High Strung. 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 during three different time periods.
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."
The plot of Bird Box follows the character of Malorie and is set during three different time periods: the beginning of The Problem (about five years prior to the events at the start of the book), shortly after the birth of the two children, and the present day. The following synopsis is laid out in chronological order.
Malorie is a young college student who lives in southeast Michigan 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 concerns to her about some odd reports of people abruptly going mad and brutally attacking the people around them and then killing themselves shortly after they see an unknown something. Malorie initially is skeptical of the veracity of these incidents, especially since the first accounts come from Russia, but is forced to admit that this is a legitimate problem when incidents start occurring in Canada and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. 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 live barricaded inside their house, all windows covered and doors locked. They do not venture outside. Malorie and Shannon discuss going to a nearby refuge that they have read an advertisement about, but decide to remain at home for the time being as travel is too risky. 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.
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