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Book Review: Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman

cover of Malorie: A Bird Box Novel

Malorie: A Bird Box Novel by Josh Malerman ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Del Rey, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-0593156858

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

In a world where sequels and reboots are plentiful, encountering a followup that actually measures up to the original is rare. Malorie, the eagerly awaited sequel to the smash hit Bird Box, equals that debut novel in story, scope, characters and sheer emotional power.

Josh Malerman enters this summer as horror’s reigning rock star, both figuratively and literally (he’s the star of his own band, The High Strung), although to pigeonhole him in a single genre would be unfair. Take a deep dive into the dark western Unbury Carol or his supernatural thriller Black Mad Wheel to experience the breadth of his talent.

Malorie picks up a dozen years after Bird Box left off, with a chaotic scene at the school for the blind where the original concluded. A woman falls prey to the creatures introduced in the first book, that cause their victims to become violent and commit suicide, with our main characters escaping. Skip forward ten years, and Malorie, Olympia, and Tom are holed up in a summer camp, which they have modified to fit their every need. Yet, as teenagers,  it is only a matter of time before the kids, once named “Boy” and “Girl”, open Pandora’s Box, their curiosity overriding Malorie’s strict “parenting by paranoia”.

To state much of the plot would venture into spoiler territory, but the trio do leave their safe zone when a “census taker” visits and informs them that other survivors exist, possibly some that Malorie might know, and that a “blind train” exists, a haven that can deliver them to others like them. Much like the journey in the first book, the thrill is getting there. There’s no river here, just roads, with little to guide the characters.

What occurs when they reach the destination is mind-blowing and is world-building at its finest. For a short novel, Malerman nails it.

Of course, Malerman had zero idea that the pandemic would coincide with the book’s release, and its relationship to current events renders the story that much more effective. The issues of mask/blindfold wearers and the cult who refuse common sense and wish to face the terrors of the creatures we can’t see– and survive– mirror society today in a frightening way. To learn that staying alive can be thwarted by the ignorance and arrogance of a few is terrifyingly timely. Yet, Malerman also keeps it entertaining, with twists and turns, and the return of the only character who can best Malorie. Her fears of Gary’s arrival lingers, until her nightmares morph into reality.

The other concepts are handled with style and care. Is Malorie a solid mom or a paranoid woman who’s holding back her kids from developing into the people they need to be? Her guilt consumes her– and them–  a sensation to which any parent today can readily relate. Are her actions selfishness or altruistic? Both? Neither? The conflict and balancing act Malerman portrays display the compelling character readers fell for in the first novel. It’s easy to see why Malerman decided to return to Malorie’s world. Her damaged psyche makes the novel resonate. A new element elevates the story to another level here: her children. Olympia travels through her books and holds a secret that can either kill the family or deliver them to salvation. Tom’s fascination with inventions and gadgets is more than that of a boy with his toys; he’s determined to reshape his world into one that includes sight. How the pair battle their conflicts with Malorie and her maternal instincts and fractures, is crushing emotionally, raw and eviscerating. What could have been a rehash of Bird Box is transformed into a higher level tale that deserves a film, which is on the way.

What makes Malerman such a star in the literary world, and not just the horror genre, is his writing. It’s unobstrusive, yet inviting. It’s far from simple, yet feels as though he scrawled it out whilfe sitting out back, eyes closed and immersed in the Malorie’s mind. He becomes her and lulls the reader into her being, for a disturbed, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable ride. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

 

Posted on August 15, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

cover for Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Delacorte Press, 2020

ISBN-13: 978-0525645627

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD  (  Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com  )

Seventeen-year-old Margot, trapped in a disturbing codependent relationship with her abusive mother, finally finds an escape after discovering she has a grandmother living just outside Phalene, a small town only a few hours away. Arriving in Phalene, Margot quickly meets Tess, daughter of a wealthy landowner whose property is next to Margot’s grandmother’s farm, and Tess’ friend Eli. Tess and Eli tell Margot her grandmother has a reputuation as an eccentric, but offer to walk her to her grandmother’s house. On the way, the three teens discover the property is on fire, and Eli carries a girl out of the fire who is identical to Margot in looks and age, but who Margot has never seen before. The police are suspicious and take all three to the station to question them, but are clearly focused on Margot, especially because this isn’t the first fire to take place on her grandmother’s property, and the two girls are so identical it’s hard to believe Margot doesn’t know her.

A significant part of the book has to do with Margot’s developing relationship with her grandmother. At first, her grandmother is loving and welcoming, if inflexible, but early on Margot realizes that her grandmother is also being evasive and, at times, outright lying to her. The reader will see clearly the similarities between the behaviors of Margot’s grandmother and mother; it becomes clear early on why Margot’s mother never wanted to speak about her family. Margot also begins a close friendship with Tess, which has the marks of the beginnings of a crush on her, but this is never followed through on. Margot, Tess, and Eli are determined to solve the mystery of the girl who died and how that might be related to the earlier fire, and Margot as well wants to learn about her family’s past. There is clearly something going on that her grandmother is hiding, and a diary Margot finds contains clues as to what led to her mother’s behavior and some of the reasons she may have passed the trauma of her own childhood on to Margot.

The science-fictional twist at the end leads to some particularly gruesome body horror, and thoughtful readers may still find themselves disturbed by the long-term consequences of not eliminating all of the loose ends. Burn Our Bodies Down punches up the action faster than Wilder Girls but meanders in the middle, until it reaches its fast-paced and gory conclusion. Power has done a great job of showing the effects generational trauma and the difficulty of breaking that cycle. Even in relationships that haven’t sustained the kind of damage as the family in this book, there are very few girls who want to grow up to be just like their mothers, and Burn Our Bodies Down does an excellent job of portraying a time of life when most girls are separating to explore and form their own identities.

Posted on August 6, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (Jasper Dent, #1)

cover for I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga  (  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

Little, Brown, Books for Young Readers, 2013

ISBN-13: 9780316125833

Available:  Hardvover, paperback, mass market paperback, Kindle edition, audio CD

Jasper is the 17 year old son of notorious serial killer Billy Dent. The trauma of being raised by Billy teaching him the skills, knowledge, and thought processes necessary to become a successful serial killer has left him with significant holes in his memory, causing him anxiety over what he might have done in the past and may do in the future. His longterm best friend Howie and girfriend Connie are his greatest supporters, but Jasper constantly second-guesses himself over whether their relationships with him are really solid or are just the results of manipulation.

In addition to the anxiety Jasper feels about himself, he also is drawn to use his knowledge when a murder occurs in his town that appears to be a copycat of his dad’s first discovered kill.  Despite being discouraged by the police from interfering with the investigation, Jasper involves himself. While they initially object, when it becomes clear that the killer is a copycat, he becomes a resource for the investigation. Unfortunately this makes some of the people around him targets, including friends and teachers.  Jasper struggles to deal with his impulses and relationships and the effect trauma has had on him and the people around him. How unreliable is he, really? Is he, deep down, a serial killer? Will he become a killer by the end of the book?

For the most part, I was able to get past the completely unrealistic setup of the book (as compromised as social services may be, I have difficulty believing Jasper would be left with his grandmother, who obviously has dementia, or that Howie’s overprotective parents would allow him anywhere near Jasper, for instance) because this was a magnetic, compulsive read that left my hands shaking and heart racing, and a real tribute to friendship and the trust and protectiveness friends can feel for each other (something not often seen in depictions of boys’ friendships).  This is not an easy read; there is no way to climb inside the mind of a serial killer (or even a fictional character describing what climbing into the mind of a fictional serial killer is like) or a severely traumatized teen without being at least a little shaken up. But it’s a compelling, disturbing, and original tale that will appeal particularly to boys. I Hunt Killers is the first in a trilogy, so teens who get hooked don’t have to wait for another hit.  Highly recommended.

Contains: Mutilation, torture, body horror, murder, gore, animal cruelty, discussions of rape.

 

Posted on July 22, 2020 by , Reply
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