Bird Box readers (spoilers)

[meggers5]

underwaterrhymes
wise_rita
dcannie

i know you guys have read it. Can we talk about it?

i loved it!

[underwaterrhymes]

Wasn't it fantastic?

I found the fact that large sections of the book had no visual descriptors really sucked the reader into the story, making it far scarier and more intense than it would have been otherwise.

And what she had to do to protect her kids - the ways in which she had to train them - were unimaginable.

[eponinepontmercy]

I just finished it over the weekend. I cannot even imagine parenting in that situation.

[meggers5]

There were a couple parts where I was afraid to turn the page, like something was going to jump out at me or something.

I also, about 100 times, paused reading to think about what I could ever see that would be so incomprehensible that I would go mad. But of course I can't imagine something like that, which is the point, but it drove me nuts trying to think about it lol.

Though the one thing that bothered me is that in four years she never bothered to name the kids.

[underwaterrhymes]

I think she didn't name them because naming them would cause her feel too much attachment to them and she needed at least a certain amount of detachment to help them survive.

[miniroller]

OH- I ordered this book, & it's coming tomorrow, so I won't read the spoilers. I'm hoping it's a book club possibility, hence ordering the book instead of the Kindle version. Bookmarking for the future!

[meggers5]

Oh and I almost had a panic attack when they guy on the motorboat came upon them. The descriptions of hearing people go mad was intense.

[underwaterrhymes]

And the birds in the trees on the river. And her dog in the bar. OMG.

[Buttercup]

I bought this book after the thread about it and read it in two nights! It was SO good but the part about Victor made me cry

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 10:06:43 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

And the birds in the trees on the river. And her dog in the bar. OMG.

This brings me to a question. What was she doing at the bar? Getting sound equipment I know. But at this stage she was alone with the babies. What did she use it all for to take SUCH a huge risk at going there?!

Also, I must be stupid because I didn't realise the one baby was Olympia's until they were giving birth. I thought she was having twins.

I'm a bit sceptical that an umbilical cord is strong enough to hang from...

[wise_rita]

God this book was SO FREAKING GOOD!

[underwaterrhymes]

Nov 17, 2015 17:25:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Nov 17, 2015 10:06:43 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

And the birds in the trees on the river. And her dog in the bar. OMG.

This brings me to a question. What was she doing at the bar? Getting sound equipment I know. But at this stage she was alone with the babies. What did she use it all for to take SUCH a huge risk at going there?!

Also, I must be stupid because I didn't realise the one baby was Olympia's until they were giving birth. I thought she was having twins.

I'm a bit sceptical that an umbilical cord is strong enough to hang from...

She set up the sound equipment outside so they could hear if anything was approaching the house.

I also didn't realize one baby was Olympia's until the end.

[underwaterrhymes]

And the umbilical cord part was really fucking disturbing, the way she was hearing delight in Gary's voice.

[dcannie]

FUCKING GARY! ugh!
this book really scared me. when the thing was right next to her and tried to remove her blindfold!?! but then she is like, "no, it's mine," and it just backs off. that is almost more creepy than if it had continued to try to remove it. and WHAT do they look like? i'm so used to creating character images in my mind and the fact that i can't construct what these things look like is driving me nuts. lol. i obviously would not last very long in that world; i would be too curious.

i would really love a sequel. and a movie. but i know they wouldn't show the creatures in the movie and then i would be frustrated.

[deanlicker78]

I had to download this book just now, thanks to you people.

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 17:32:24 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Nov 17, 2015 17:25:17 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

This brings me to a question. What was she doing at the bar? Getting sound equipment I know. But at this stage she was alone with the babies. What did she use it all for to take SUCH a huge risk at going there?!

Also, I must be stupid because I didn't realise the one baby was Olympia's until they were giving birth. I thought she was having twins.

I'm a bit sceptical that an umbilical cord is strong enough to hang from...

She set up the sound equipment outside so they could hear if anything was approaching the house.

Ok, that's what I thought but there was no mention of it ever again after the trip to the bar.  

It just seems like such a risk to take (the babies were home alone!) for something that's never mentioned/not a plot point later!

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 19:34:58 GMT -5 deanlicker78 said:

I had to download this book just now, thanks to you people.

See you back here tomorrow.

[underwaterrhymes]

Nov 17, 2015 19:47:27 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Nov 17, 2015 17:32:24 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

She set up the sound equipment outside so they could hear if anything was approaching the house.

Ok, that's what I thought but there was no mention of it ever again after the trip to the bar.  

It just seems like such a risk to take (the babies were home alone!) for something that's never mentioned/not a plot point later!

She mentions it earlier in the book when she talks about the amplifiers in the yard. After she gets them, they're not mentioned again.

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 17:34:07 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

And the umbilical cord part was really fucking disturbing, the way she was hearing delight in Gary's voice.

Can we assume that those who are already insane are immune to "the creatures"?

I mean, Gary lived outside in the tent unscathed, right?  Or was he holed up in the basement with Don that whole time?  I was a bit confused about that.

Plus the guy out on the boat, but he eventually succumbed.  That or he was a trick played by the creatures trying to lure them.  

[krystee]

I read this book last night and stayed up way too late. I loved it but need more closure! How many people are left in the world? How are they getting sufficient food/etc.? Why don't the creatures try to get in there like they did in their house? WHAT ARE THE CREATURES?

[underwaterrhymes]

Nov 17, 2015 20:16:51 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Nov 17, 2015 17:34:07 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

And the umbilical cord part was really fucking disturbing, the way she was hearing delight in Gary's voice.

Can we assume that those who are already insane are immune to "the creatures"?

I mean, Gary lived outside in the tent unscathed, right?  Or was he holed up in the basement with Don that whole time?  I was a bit confused about that.

Plus the guy out on the boat, but he eventually succumbed.  That or he was a trick played by the creatures trying to lure them.  

Do you remember when they went to go get the dogs? They ran across Gary's tent then. Once they let him in the house, he never left. Don hid him in the basement and he stayed there.

And, yes, I think there are some people who never go completely over and commit suicide, but they are insane and enjoy the chaos the creatures have created..

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 20:39:37 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Nov 17, 2015 20:16:51 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Can we assume that those who are already insane are immune to "the creatures"?

I mean, Gary lived outside in the tent unscathed, right?  Or was he holed up in the basement with Don that whole time?  I was a bit confused about that.

Plus the guy out on the boat, but he eventually succumbed.  That or he was a trick played by the creatures trying to lure them.  

Do you remember when they went to go get the dogs? They ran across Gary's tent then. Once they let him in the house, he never left. Don hid him in the basement and he stayed there.

Yes I do remember that.  Was Gary living in that tent before he was democratically let in?  Not when he was democratically booted out? 

I'm trying to figure out if he was immune to the creatures [due to insanity].  I think so, because he would've been killed with the rest of them once they got in the house.

[underwaterrhymes]

Nov 17, 2015 20:50:26 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Nov 17, 2015 20:39:37 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Do you remember when they went to go get the dogs? They ran across Gary's tent then. Once they let him in the house, he never left. Don hid him in the basement and he stayed there.

Yes I do remember that.  Was Gary living in that tent before he was democratically let in?  Not when he was democratically booted out? 

I'm trying to figure out if he was immune to the creatures [due to insanity].  I think so, because he would've been killed with the rest of them once they got in the house.

Yes, I think so. And he was watching them for sure.

I am not sure if he was crazy before he saw the creatures and thus immune. Or if he saw the creatures, was mostly immune, but still went crazy.

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 20:26:33 GMT -5 krystee said:

How many people are left in the world?
How are they getting sufficient food/etc.?
Why don't the creatures try to get in there like they did in their house?
WHAT ARE THE CREATURES?

I don't imagine many!
The school for the blind said they grew food (interesting when crops need sunlight to grow but farmers couldn't look at them) and had a few animals.
I want to know how they got out of the house for Malorie and the babies to be safe.  The school said they did have a breach once and many people died.
OMG I know, right?!

[underwaterrhymes]

Oh yeah. The fact that the school had blinded the people who were there at the time to avoid it happening again really was fucked ip too.

[wise_rita]

Nov 17, 2015 21:12:58 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Oh yeah. The fact that the school had blinded the people who were there at the time to avoid it happening again really was fucked ip too.

As was the creature tugging at her blindfold as they were approaching the fork in the river.

What I found more tense, though, was "something is right behind us, mommy".  It was in the water and they of course didn't know what it was.  

OMG, the tension!

[jessesgirl08]

I feverishly read this last night/this morning. I liked it a lot! It was so suspenseful. The part with a creature pulling off her blindfold was INSANE. So scary.

[RandZB]

I downloaded this book last night and just finished it. WHAT ARE THE CREATURES. It is driving me insane not knowing what they are and not having any visual description of them to even imagine what they might look like. I finally ended up just picturing them as the Silence from Doctor Who because I needed them to have some sort of form. Where did they come from? Will they ever leave? Having an unknowable threat made this book doubly creepy for me.

[wise_rita]

Nov 20, 2015 1:21:06 GMT -5 RexManningDay said:

Where do you think the creatures CAME from?

More than once they brought up, "Do the creatures MEAN to do this to us?"

Even with the tug on the blindfold I don't know if they do.

Also freaky, Olympia saying "You're not so bad" when she sees one.

[wise_rita]

Also freaked me out: training the babies to wake up with their eyes closed. And withholding food until the girl would go fetch water (or whatever the task was) AT AGE 3!