Boy in the Box is Eco Horror at its Finest
“It wasn’t fair that such horrid weight should hinge on one split second, one coincidence, one decision. That was an unfair burden of life, and it made her think that life was not what it seemed, that it was, in fact, some kind of false light, a holograph meant to tease, test, and eventually destroy.”
That quote is near the end of this story and quite frankly sums up the entire tale in a beautiful way. We are always just one mistake, one split decision away from changing the trajectory of our lives forever. For fans of The Ritual and eco horror, Marc E. Fitch’s Boy in the Box is an incredible accomplishment.
The story follows three friends who have known each other since childhood. The fourth member of their childhood pack has committed suicide and now the three of them are the only ones left who know their terrible secret from ten years prior. The brothers, Conner and Michael, convince Jonathan to return to the scene of their secret to protect themselves and their families from a horror that would destroy them all.
FULL SPOILERS AHEAD
You won’t find characters to love in this book - this is about four men who have made some piss poor decisions and are quite unlikable. But it won’t ruin your experience as you’re taken along this roller-coaster. And the ability Fitch has of taking three unlikable characters and having you still feeling invested and wanting to keep reading is impressive.
Ten years ago Jonathan was taken on a hunting trip for his bachelor’s party by his best friends; brothers; Michael and Conner, and best friend Gene. Before even getting to the hunting cabin, the four of them end up in a strip club - Jonathan sleeps with a stripper, and then they get shitfaced and blackout. At the cabin they spend their days hunting and drinking, but Gene still hasn’t had any success killing. On their last night, they’re all drunk and decide to go hunting in the dark so Gene can get his shot.
Gene is wasted and wielding a gun and sees a pair of glowing eyes in the dark and takes his shot. The men then find it was not a deer that Gene had killed but a young boy and realize they’ve made a terrible mistake.
So as not to fuck up their lives, they bury the body of the boy in a camping box in the woods and go about their lives, never speaking again. But Conner finds out that the land they buried their secret in has been sold which means soon there will be a lot of digging over there. He realizes they need to get back there, dig up the box, and dump it into a lake further down the trail. When he brings it up with Gene, he’s so distraught by the idea he kills himself. Leaving Jonathan, Conner, and Michael to do the job.
book mood board
This is a pretty great eco horror novel which is one of my favorite sub-genres. Most of the setting is in “Coombs’ Gulch” which is a forest/mountain type area. It has a dark history that involves a cult and creepy geometric patterns made out of rocks and bones and ghost kids. The lore was fascinating and I really dug how Fitch weaved it throughout the tale.
The horror is here. It kicks off pretty much right away and ramps up to the conclusion. And in fact, the epilogue itself is a brand new level of horror that will have you finishing this book with a stomach drop.
Ultimately, it’s a tale of desperation - a father and husband who has withheld a horrific secret and a betrayal that is slowing killing him over time. It speaks a lot of how we deal with the past, how we carry our deepest secrets within us as they eat away at us. Do you ever fully recover from a terrible mistake? Do you deserve to recover?
“Time doesn’t heal wounds, he thought, it just hides them in the little, everyday treacheries until you can’t tell the difference anymore.”
This was a fast paced read, cleverly thought out from start to finish, and a massive accomplishment from Fitch. Highly recommend!
We received a copy of Boy in the Box for free from Flame Tree Press in return for an honest review. This book is available TODAY! Go get your own copy where all books are sold.
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