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MALORIE: A BIRD BOX NOVEL Review

The version I read was a pre-ARC file that Josh received from his editor, but judging from the file, I believe this will be the final version of the novel.

And what a novel it is.

My objectives with this pseudo-review are twofold:

a) I want to avoid any and all spoilers. The last thing I want to do is ruin this experience for any of you.

b) I’d like to share my feelings about the book as clearly as I can.

So with the above two objectives in mind, I’ve created a Q&A featuring questions you might have about the book and the best answers I can provide.

Here we go!

1. Why did Josh Malerman write this novel? We’ve all seen and read sequels and prequels of varying quality. Is MALORIE a money grab or an essential story?

Let me answer this question with a question: For those of you familiar with BIRD BOX, at the end of that story did you think Malorie’s character was finished evolving? Had she *really* come to terms with this new world? Listen, I really loved the first book, but even though Malorie changed in BIRD BOX, I didn’t feel like her journey was over. There are so many issues she still needs to work out, so many questions that still haven’t been answered.

And what about her children? What would it be like growing up in this world? Living by the blindfold? How would a young person feel if constrained by these strictures? These are important questions, and their urgency proves that this is *absolutely* a story that needs to be told.

This novel, though riveting, suspenseful, and at times flat-out scary, is all about the characters, and that’s why it succeeds so thoroughly. At the end of JAWS (the film version), Chief Brody’s story was complete. Same for Andy Dufresne and Red in THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (novella or movie, take your pick). But the story of Malorie and her kids is not done at the end of BIRD BOX. There’s so much more for them to learn, to endure, to battle, and to (maybe) overcome.

For all these reasons, I can tell you that, yes, this novel is absolutely essential. Josh doesn’t write for the money or the prestige; he writes because he loves storytelling, and his imagination is as vivid as anyone working today. This world called to him and demanded to be explored, and now having experienced the journey, I’m grateful he heeded the call.

2. Does it live up to the original?

This is going to be a controversial statement, but while I consider the original novel a modern classic of suspense, I slightly prefer MALORIE. My reason for feeling this way lies in the heartbreaking resonance of the book’s central relationships. There were sections of this novel that were difficult to read because they rang too true. Rarely do I understand and relate to both sides of a conflict the way I did with Malorie and her son Tom. I won’t say more than that because I don’t want to spoil anything, but if I were Malorie, I’d think exactly the way she thinks, and if I were Tom, I’d undergo the same feelings he experiences. These opposing scripts comprise one of the novel’s most powerful elements. And for me, relationships like these elevate MALORIE just a small notch above BIRD BOX.

3. Is it scary?

Good gravy, is it ever. There are scenes here that had me curling my toes in dread. Josh knows how to ambush the reader, and he knows how to subvert a reader’s expectations. So many times I thought I knew what was coming, only to have my expectations confounded by an unforeseen development that was twice as compelling as what I’d assumed would happen. This is a rare and marvelous gift. So…yes. It’s scary. Damned scary.

4. Is it emotional?

This is why I love the book so much. Frights only take a story so far. There’s gotta be heart. And MALORIE has emotion by the trainload. I genuinely rooted for most of the characters, and I detested a couple of them too. Yet at no time did the story feel manipulative. This novel choked me up, made heart hammer, and caused me to pump my fists in joy. That’s a wondrous combination.

5. Any final thoughts?

I love the structure of MALORIE. To talk too much about it would be to ruin it, so I’ll simply say this: Everything in this novel has a purpose. Seemingly minor events take on gargantuan meaning in unexpected ways. A line of dialogue or a fleeting moment that seems self-contained ends up connecting to another development in a way that makes you smile, cringe, or utter a breathless laugh of admiration.

I loved MALORIE. Now that I’ve read the novel, I can’t imagine it *not* existing. It’s as essential as a second book can be. I have to imagine that Josh felt some pressure to make this book special, but it sure doesn’t read that way. It reads like a gloriously natural continuation of BIRD BOX written by a blazingly-talented author in total command of his craft.