Summary

"Bird Box" by Josh Malerman tells the chilling story of a post apocalyptic world in which unknown creatures cause any human who lays eyes upon them to kill those around them and then to kill themselves. The novel follows Malorie through 3 different time periods of her life: when the creatures first appear, when she stays in a house with other survivors, and finally when she goes by river to a shelter. Using Malorie as a focus, Malerman explores the idea of captivity and its both detrimental and beneficial effect on the individual in short, snapshot chapters.

Chapter 1 starts with Malorie and her two 4 year old children in a self-imposed bird box of a house. Malorie, blindfolded, fetches water from a well outside and notices that the air is foggy. She believes this fog will provide cover for herself and the children when they...