This book is truly suspenseful and unique, with one of the scariest premises for a novel I've read in a long, long time. There are some wonderful scenThis book is truly suspenseful and unique, with one of the scariest premises for a novel I've read in a long, long time. There are some wonderful scenes of characters blundering around in the dark, and that final showdown is a blood-soaked work of horrific brilliance that I think would strike awe into any suspense/thriller/horror fans.
Before then, though, it often feels a long old slog. Honestly, the most excellent, 5-star worthy moments of this novel - of which there are many - occur when Malerman has his finger on the pulse of his terrifying premise. From the beginning, where Malorie sees all these people reacting to - something and gets justifiably very scared indeed to the end, these are clearly built on other moments in dystopia and horror film/literature, but still stand alone against such tropes.
It's the other stuff of building a story that I found quite dull and unimpressive in Bird Box. For instance, Malorie has two children with her. She calls them Boy and Girl despite the fact that they have names. Not one character has the personality to rival a dead leaf between them. As a result again, until Malerman unleashed his scary stuff and the blood started flowing, I didn't care. Not because I am an unfeeling sociopath who just wants to see people suffer unimaginable fates (...or am I?) but because I just didn't care. The way that Malorie's narration was written was so off-putting that I wished Malerman had just used his clearly fantastic ideas on a more interesting, suspenseful, and engrossing narrative that may have gone in a different direction - exploring the cause behind the outbreak, perhaps, or sketching the school of the blind, or almost anything else....more
I read this when I was pretty young, and it had a profound impact on me, with its quiet but disturbing writing. Alice is another of Cassidy's bland chI read this when I was pretty young, and it had a profound impact on me, with its quiet but disturbing writing. Alice is another of Cassidy's bland characters, but her repressed character is suitable for this harrowing book. Yet this book's biggest strength is easily its non-linear structure, which flashes back regularly to the incidents of Alice/Jennifer's early life in a way that I found fresh, creepy, and insightful. The plot is quite predictable, but the end is so unsettling and well-written that I forgave it. Also, I'll admit that I've been confused in the 10 years since I read this book by what happened to Michelle's body? (view spoiler)[If Jennifer buried her alive, why was she hanging up in the woods when the police looked? (hide spoiler)]...more
The writing of this book is definitely rocky and somewhat amateurish, but the utterly disturbing plot gave me a completely new insight into the vampirThe writing of this book is definitely rocky and somewhat amateurish, but the utterly disturbing plot gave me a completely new insight into the vampire trend when I read this. I demolished it in one sitting, having borrowed it from my best friend - the vampire fanatic who I've mentioned before - who, in a coincidence, owned this book due to her obsession with vampires and recognised it immediately when I said I'd heard about it online and thought it was my thing. It was a very hot day during which I was meant to be revising for my GCSEs, and it remains one of my most distinct reading memories. The twist in the middle is breathtaking, and I highly recommend it to any young teens with a strong stomach and appetite for the macabre....more
I read this when I had wriggled out of gym for the day, and while I was supposed to be revising for my GCSE in Maths. I was al4.5 stars, rounded down.
I read this when I had wriggled out of gym for the day, and while I was supposed to be revising for my GCSE in Maths. I was always terrible at Maths but, in those days, it was possible to memorise everything and do not too badly. This book hooked me beyond all description and still haunts me to this day. The film is solid, but can't compare to the book for emotional depth and the expertise with which Lehane shifts perspective and time frame.
Epic in scope and execution, it's most importantly an utterly brilliant and gripping story of childhood scars: the rare crime novel that succeeds wonderfully and unsnobbishly in being "more than a genre novel." The description of Dave's life and his wife, Celeste's, hurt particularly, especially the unspeakable claustrophobia of the final third. Despite some convolutions and plot threads that seem to fizzle out, the ending is devastating.
Still, I eventually scraped an A - on my second try - so no hard feelings, Lehane. ...more
This is one of those books that disturbed me so much I threw it out almost as soon as I finished it. It's an extremely dark book about abduction and aThis is one of those books that disturbed me so much I threw it out almost as soon as I finished it. It's an extremely dark book about abduction and abuse; it's not quite as horrifically explicit as Living Dead Girl, but it's pretty damn close. However, I remember being permanently irritated by how completely useless everyone around Jeff was. From family and friends you might expect a kind of hands-off awkwardness, but there's also a total lack of practical help, from either police officers or therapists. It also doesn't help that at points, Atkins indulges in some plot conveniences and "twists" which sometimes make When Jeff Comes Home feel like one of those B-grade psychological thrillers/horrors, about such a disturbing and horrendous subject....more
Or, as I prefer to call it, a list of everything that a person can conceivably suffer. Between the BDSM, the rape (x3), the paedophilia (x2),2.5 stars
Or, as I prefer to call it, a list of everything that a person can conceivably suffer. Between the BDSM, the rape (x3), the paedophilia (x2), premature death, the eating disorders (both bulimia and anorexia), the politics, alcoholism, driving accidents, complex and much-more-popular-in-fiction-than-reality mental illnesses, and drugs, it got to a point where I suspected that Hopkins would have liked to make them triplets, just so she could throw in a few more issues to tackle. There are without a doubt a few incredibly memorable and disturbing scenes, but the general arbitrariness and Lifetime movie quality of this book makes it impossible to recommend. ...more
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