[Informal Review] Bird Box

*review taken form my account on Goodreads

What I really like about Bird Box is that it pushes the limit on what horror can bring with the whole "leaving it on the mind" thing. Sure you can let your imagination do all the scary things for you, but putting yourself in a world where you have to forcefully let go of one of your basic senses (sight) just to stay alive is terrifying. If you don't think walking around in blindfolds while you know a creature or a monster or wild animals or whatever it is are around to get you, then I bet you'd think twice after reading this book. I really love the way this book is written. It alternates both past and present in the span of four years. Moreover, this style has made the narration and deliverance of horror more convincing and powerful. Having to alternate between a world where our protagonist is with different characters gives you a glimpse of what will happen, but it leaves you craving for the details. Traveling on the boat blindfolded, with two children who are also blindfolded, the narration is steady but also creepy at the same time. In between rowing and hearing the unknown dangers beyond, the author has pulled off the "ghosts of the past" notion and made the protagonist's journey all the more dangerous. The book can be frustrating at times because the author has done a great job on making it so. It gets you immersed in the story, and you will understand this as you journey with the survival team. You will see how limited your vision is, along with the characters. What they feel, you will feel based on their reactions. What they think is happening beyond their blindfolds will be what is put in your imagery because you, too, are losing your sight and just relying on what you have heard these characters say. Here we see what it means to lose your view of the world and heighten the ability of your ears to keep yourself sane. And how can you? How can you keep sane if you can't even dare to look outside your boarded-up windows and blackened windshield for even a split second because the "creatures" might be out there to lose your mind and make you a murderer for your friends and yourself? How scary it is - to walk around looking for supplies without knowing that you may have passed a hundred dead bodies on the ground, to feel a touch on your shoulder and go paranoid in wondering whether it was a monster out to kill you or just a leaf falling from above. Here, we are shown the build-up of trust, and the loss of it with the abundance or lack of proper communication. Here we are shown the danger of putting ideas in the mind of a person who is about to lose it. Here we are shown that votations could cost your life. Here we are shown how decisions control your fate. Here we are shown what true horror is without ever having seen it at all. Plus, the attic scene was terrifying. The amount of suspense and horror that has been built up by the author on previous attempts has reached its peak, and what he concocted is bloody brilliant. Also, our protagonist is blindly pregnant while death is heavily sneaking around. Read this book. Hopefully, despite the carnage, it'll be worth your time.