Boy in the Box tells the story of a fateful accident that destroys the lives of a group of friends. While on a hunting trip in the Adirondack Mountains for a bachelor party, one of the friends accidentally shoots and kills a young child. In a panicked effort to save themselves, they devise a plan to bury the boy and never speak of it again. Despite seemingly getting away with their crime, the men spend the next decade in guilt-ridden stress. When a new development is set to begin digging in the area where the body was buried, the group must return to that fateful mountain to ensure that their dark secret won’t be uncovered. Along the way, they begin to realize that they aren’t alone in the woods, and that just maybe there is more at play than they understand.
While at first, Boy in the Box seems to follow a pretty straight forward storyline of murder, cover-ups and intrigue, there is far more to be found here. From the start, Fitch builds a sense of foreboding and dread. The scenes set in the dark woods are nerve-racking, with a looming sense of primal terror. This mounting fear of things stalking in the night is expertly crafted. Fitch sets an uneasy scene and pumps in tension to the bursting point. The narrative strolls along with nail-bitingly charged lulls punctuated by heart-racing climaxes. The effect is a slowly increasing sense of madness. As the atmosphere built and the situation became more and more desperate, I found myself racing along, lost in the story. I detest spoilers and usually have good self-control, but there were times while reading Boy in the Box that I had to actively keep my eyes from wandering down the page to see what happens. That is very rare for me and speaks highly of the atmosphere and tension Fitch was able to create.
The story is told mainly through the eyes of Johnathan, who’s bachelor party started the whole chain of events. Jonathan has spent the last ten years stricken with guilt and paranoia, to the point of ruining his marriage. Perhaps it is just Jonathan’s personality, but I did find some of the exposition to be rather verbose. Fitch’s prose is colorful and well crafted, ripe with similes and metaphors and all manner of thorough description. This is not, by default, a bad thing. There were, however, moments which seemed to drag on due to Fitch’s wordiness. I will say that I believe this writing style aids in the building of that ever-important atmosphere and sense of madness.
Perhaps the weakest point of Boy in the Box lies with the main characters. Jonathan, Conner, Michael and Gene are all well constructed, fleshed-out characters with unique personalities, and motivations. There just isn’t much growth to be found. Other than some notable plot points, the characters are largely unchanged as the story progresses. For some reason, I just found it a bit hard to care about them. Maybe it’s because right from the beginning of the tale, we know that they’ve done something terrible. Maybe it’s because we view the world through the lense of Jonathan’s thoughts; guilty, self-loathing and grim. For whatever reason, I just had a difficult time connecting with these characters.
I always like to dedicate some time during a review to discuss a story’s antagonist. Simply put, Fitch knocked this one out of the park. The dark forces in Boy in the Box were not at all what I expected going in, and Fitch keeps things shadowy throughout. We slowly learn more about what is happening, but there is never a full reveal. What we do find out is equal parts fascinating and utterly horrifying. Horror works best when it can make the reader imagine themself and their loved ones in the situation at hand. In the case of Fitch’s evils, that thought alone is enough to run my blood cold.
Boy in the Box is a masterpiece of suspense, with major overtones of hopelessness and dread. Fitch cites Adam Nevill’s The Ritual as a major influence, and I can definitely see that. Fans of dark, atmospheric, and psychological horror will be right at home here. If action, violence and gore is more your speed, perhaps this isn’t quite the read for you. Despite my personal inability to connect with the characters, they are well written, and the story itself is incredibly immersive. If you’re okay with a slow burn that’ll have you looking over your shoulder, pick up Marc E. Fitch’s Boy in the Box.
You can purchase a copy from Flame Tree Press for $24.95 (hardback), $14.95 (paperback) $6.99 (eBook). Also available through Amazon.
Home Grown Horror 