Bird Box is a book about the unseen, and Malerman knows how to build suspense (it’s why the book deserves four stars), but make no mistake: it’s chiefly the story of a woman. I enjoyed it a lot, but there’s touches of “Guy in Your MFA” in it. Malorie’s voice doesn’t always feel authentic. She starts out a dark-haired damsel, delicate as cooing birds, and she winds up gazing at her reflection and thinking about what a strong, empowered woman she’s become. (I wish I were kidding!) And while she’s pregnant, she wonders if she’d find her male housemate’s ideas any good, you know, if she weren’t pregnant and helpless. Everything else feels authentic: the initial crisis, Malorie’s interactions with her housemates, the way she adapts to her changing world. She is a strong woman. But I don’t know any woman who sits around and waxes poetic about it. Women think about how trauma changes us, yes... just, not like this? Bird Box is Manic Pixie Dream Girl becomes Strong Trauma Queen. Lots of dudes write women really well, and Malerman mostly succeeds. There are some serious eye roll moments, though.