A husband and wife duo decide to live out a "thought experiment" where 26 boys and 26 girls are kept in separate towers in the Michigan wilderness. It is their hypothesis that if each sex is raised independently of each other and without knowledge that the other exists, the "genius" that will come as a byproduct of this upbringing will far outweigh the controversial nature in which this experiment was conducted.

Where to begin? I'm going to be quite blunt. This book was awful. I mean, really, really awful. I would absolutely have abandoned this after about 25 pages had it not been an ARC and by the author of "Bird Box". My expectations were very high because "Bird Box" was amazing. The book begins with the reader being plopped into this bizarre world where naked boys are led single file into a room where one by one they go through an "inspection". Grown men use magnifying glasses and dogs to quite literally inspect the boys for anything out of sorts. It is creepy, but you feel confused because as you continue reading you feel like you just started watching Game of Thrones or something equally complex in the middle of season 4. You have no idea what is going on, who people are or why these kids are being held here. At around 50%, enough clues have been doled out, but at that point I could have cared less. There was nothing in the story to make me feel anything about the plight of these boys. Then the girls are introduced to the story and you just re-hash the same crap from their perspective. Oh and did I forget the make out scenes? With 12 year olds? Who just discovered the opposite sex exists and that their whole world is a lie? Of course there were make out scenes! Why wouldn't there be? It's the most logical thing on the planet when being confronted with the reality that you have no idea how you came to be in this place, why you weren't told there is an entire world past your building and you've been lied to your entire life.

I won't spoil the ending, but do yourself a favor and save yourself the time. This is a slow burn for no gain.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House, Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this e-galley and provide an honest review.

Publication date: April 23rd

This was a very odd story about a man and woman who are conducting the experiment of a lifetime. They have two towers several miles apart in the remote countryside. Each tower started with 26 children. One tower with the boys and another with the the girls. They "couple" who are leading this "experiment" are referred to as M.O.M. and D.A.D. and both have raised the children to not know the existence of the opposite sex. They want to prove that know about the other sex stiffles their imagination and intelligence. The experiment has been going on for twelve years when things start to go terribly wrong.
I found the story unique and quite interesting but not all that exciting. Until the end that is, then everything got crazy. I definitely would like to know more about what happened afterwards!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the chance to read this unique book.

This one was too slow for me. Not the most original idea either. We may purchase it if our patrons remember he wrote "Bird Box"

After the terrifying horror found in Bird Box I was dying to read this book and had high hopes for more heart pounding terror. For that reason Inspection did not quite live up to my hopes.
In a bizarre experiment in which the hypothesis is that knowledge of the opposite sex somehow stifles genius, children who have been obtained by dubious means are kept totally ignorant of the real world, the opposite sex, and are led to believe they grew on trees. The first half of the book is devoted to the boys, and it is at the halfway point that we meet the girls who are raised separately just a stone's throw away. The pace is quite slow and even after the shocking (to them) discovery of the opposite sex there is not much action until the end.

There is a tower for boys and a mile away a tower for girls. The sexes are raised without knowing about the other for a study to see what happens to the human potential without the influence of romance.

It took a bit for me to get into this book because of the naming convention. All the children are named after the alphabet and that makes it harder to distinguish them in the beginning. The main boy character, Jay, is not a compelling character to follow. There are other characters that we do follow who are interesting and his female counterpart, Kay, is awesome.

My big problem is that homosexuality is never spoken of. The people behind the experiment think that as long as the girls and boys don't know the existence of each other then they won't be distracted by physical thoughts. I was fine with the characters not experiencing these thoughts because the kids are ten but none of the grown ups thought about what happens if any of the kids are attracted to their same gender.

Ignoring these three complains the book is very engaging once we get to Kay's part as she figures things out and acts on them.

Being a big fan of Malerman’s Bird Box, I went into reading this with high expectations. Was I wrong. This novel is so slowed paced. I found myself skimming and not missing any of the storyline. A few times I wanted to throw in the towel, but I finished it... and was totally disappointed. This book had a serious identity crisis. It starts as sci-fi and ends up as horror. Needlessly wordy and tedious. Would not recommend. 2.5

Not a bad book, I read most of it in one sitting. But I think that it could have been better if the girls and boys stories were intertwined being told at the same time vs first 50% of the book all the boys story then a small % of the girls story (way less than the 50% that is the boys story, why?) and things become disjointed and the reader may become disinterested.

Having said that it wasn’t a terrible read but neither was it a great read. Just middle of the road. Interesting concept but badly executed. The ending leaves much to be desired but where else could it have gone? Too predictable.

Inspection is an original and unique coming of age story, so fresh and different from anything else I've read. It a disturbing story about an experiment where children are raised in two separate oppressive and manipulative school environments, which segregate boys and girls to the extreme that they do not (and cannot) know the other sex even exists. We are introduced to the inner-workings of the stark boys' school through the odd and sort of distant views of various characters.

I found it fascinating that the idea of any child figuring out the truth of their imprisonment would be considered "spoiled rotten". That somehow an administration pushing academics, as if they are all tiny Hawkings, would view the understanding of reality to ruin them utterly. Each child lives under the fear of being found spoiled, and facing the horror of The Corner.

The entire book was tight and eerie, except for one point where we have pages and pages of a certain character's complete detachment from reality, which was hard to read. Not in a "wow, how awful for him" kind of way, but more in a "how fast can I swipe through this babble?" way.

As expected, with the natural onset of puberty, the unnatural experiment the school represents has to fail. That's where this story gets real, where this extreme social experiment of parenting has to face the reality of nature vs. nurture, oppression, curiosity, and maybe even what it truly means to "spoil" a child.

Despite my love of Malerman's Bird Box, I really struggled with this strange, slow moving book. It didn't grab me, and though it was well written, it unfortunately did not suit my personal tastes. I would recommend this one for patient readers willing to appreciate the symbolism and themes Malerman is putting forth. Interested to see what Malerman writes next, though he does seem to be pretty hit or miss!

“The real world is a constant waste of potential.”

J lives along with the 23 other Alphabet Boys in a tower in the woods, hidden away from the world by the Parenthood, including D.A.D. and the Inspectors. The boys are not being raised like regular kids. Every morning for as long as the boys can remember, they strip down and are inspected to ensure they are “clean” of diseases. The boys are then fed breakfast and attend classes far advanced for their ages. As far as the boys know, the Turret in which they live and the surrounding Yard and Orchard are the entire world. They are not even aware of the opposite sex, having been taught there are only boys and men. But things are changing. The boys are 12 now, and approaching the “Delicate Years,” as they have been labeled. D.A.D. is sure everything will be fine. After all, they are raising the best scientists, mathematicians, and thinkers in the world. They have been taught never to keep secrets or question the Parenthood. And if they do, then they will simply be characterized as spoiled rotten and sent to the Corner…

J keeps thinking he sees a figure crouched in the woods, but he doesn’t want to tell anyone about it. He believes the Inspectors and D.A.D. will think he’s crazy. But he can’t help the feeling that he’s being watched by the figure. And when D.A.D. tells J one thing during Inspection but says another in a speech to the boys and the entire staff, he begins to wonder if D.A.D. hadn’t lied to him.
Through the forest, 25 girls are being similarly reared. K, an amazingly talented young artist, has been drawing a distinct tree in the woods. She doesn’t recall when or how she saw it, yet she draws it differently than the other trees. However, K doesn’t like how interested in the tree M.O.M. and the Inspectors are. K decides to sneak out and go for a walk in the woods toward the mysterious, leafless tree and discover it for herself.

I must confess - I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by Malerman. He takes a rather ordinary concept – the apocalypse, a haunted house, a Wild West story – and throws it in the blender, mixing it up until something weird shakes loose. So while I didn’t know what to expect, I knew it would be different and original. At its base, Inspection is merely a coming-of-age story. Only the kids are geniuses. Hidden in the forest. Unaware of the opposite sex. And believing the whole world was the small part in which they live. Personally, I preferred K’s part to J’s, but that might just be me saying, “Well yeah, of course girls mature faster and are smarter than boys. Duh.” And that ending…I did not see that coming. The ending was well worth the price of admission. I was blown away.

The reader is dropped immediately into bizarre cult-like scenes of daily inspections (physical and psychological) to ensure that the boys are clean or have not been “spoiled rotten.” Perhaps alluding to the “forbidden fruit of knowledge.” Gatherings in which D.A.D., the “principal” of the boy’s school gives inspiring speeches and the boys are dressed in all black while D.A.D. is dressed in all red.
From the get-go I had no idea what the hell was going on, but Malerman slowly doles out the breadcrumbs with each chapter until the reader has enough information to realize, at about the same time as the boys, that something fishy is going on.
I think at this point that giving anymore away would be spoiling the read, but I will finish with saying that there was, for me, A LOT of suspension of disbelief required, this book also required a lot of patience and in fact, I was ready to hang it up about half-way through. Quite frankly, not much happens and while it was probably an intentional ploy to keep the reader as uninformed as the children, I found it slightly annoying that so many of the premises go unexplained.
The originality of the idea is enough to warrant a positive review, but I enjoyed the concept much more than the execution.

This is the best Net Galley book I've read to this date. I had high hopes after reading this author's Bird Box recently, and I was not disappointed. This is a suspenseful, smart, timely, action-packed, seat-of-your-pants thrill ride. Malerman creates a unique world, throws you in the middle of it and lets you figure it out piece-by-piece as it goes along. Each piece adds another exciting little reveal and gives you an "aha" moment (There are a couple of these that made me gasp!). The two heroes have great arcs going from naïve, sheltered kids to disillusioned, angry, righteous warriors. The two antagonists are given just enough vulnerability to make them not caricatures, but you can still hate them and root for their downfall. I powered through this book over a long weekend eager to see what I (and the characters) would learn next. I'm recommending it to everyone I see.

This is my third Malerman book, and I've decided his books should come with a guarantee - the plot will be entirely original, and unlike anything you've read.

It's a fascinating premise - raise children from infancy, seclude them from the outside world, educate them at an advanced rate, and control everything in their lives to include what they wear, read, eat, and do in their leisure time.  All while making sure they're unaware of the opposite sex.  You can't deny it's thought-provoking, and would certainly inspire some fascinating book club discussions.  But what happens when the children learn they've been lied to their entire lives?  Especially considering their advanced education and thought processes?

Even though the childrens' world is limited, learning it took a bit of time - it's bizarre on one level, but practical on another.  Malerman elevates common terminology to sinister levels - 'the Corner' and 'spoiled rotten' - and the inspections are just downright creepy and disturbing.  

D.A.D. and M.O.M. are psychologically demented and unbelievably narcissistic, and the reader is given insight as to how this inhumane experiment came to be.  Some of their scenes are cringe-worthy and profoundly unsettling.

Inspection is more of a slow burn horror novel, then jumps into light speed near the end - and this is an ending you don't want to miss.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I think I'll be keeping this one brief, as I don't want to spoil anything and I am a middle of the road reviewer for this book. As others before me have stated, this one is a super slow burn, which isn't bad, but I think keeps the books from feeling as sinister as it could. I completely agree with Dennis's recommendation that fans of suspense that are a bit squeamish of straight up horror may really take to this story. The ending was epic, and 100 points to Malerman's Hogwarts House for all the creativity with this story. Seriously, it was incredibly imaginative and highly unique.

(I read an ARC of this novel provided free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, Netgalley!)

I finished this novel a couple of weeks ago, but I've put off writing this review because I'm sad that I didn't like it. At all.

Here's the gist: There's a tower in the middle of nowhere, inhabited by 24 11-12 year-old boys, their teachers (all ex-cons wanting to disappear), and various servants. They're all male. Richard, called DAD by the boys, is conducting an experiment with the hypothesis that these boys will be the best and smartest academically if they are never distracted by girls - in fact, they don't even know girls exist. Until they do.

There's also a girl's tower (they're all 11) about three miles away through a dense pine forest. First, the girls notice in drawings that there's a weird tree towering above the rest, and then they sneak out to explore. the find an identical tower with "funny-looking girls." The one who drew the tower keeps sneaking back and becomes fascinated by one boy in particular.

Meanwhile, each tower has a novelist who writes books just for these boys and girls, detailing on the world they know and not mentioning the other sex. The boy's novelist decides that what they're doing is inhumane, so he writes a novel about a woman, prints it on the basement printing press (um hmh), and delivers it to the boys' rooms in the middle of the night.

Also meanwhile, there's a "terrible" place in each basement called the Corner, where boys or girls are sent if they're "spoiled rotten," which means if they find out about the other gender. Adults can be sent there, too - one of the boys' parents showed up when they were toddlers, and both she and the toddler who saw her were sent to the Corner...and killed.

Eventually the boys and girls meet, and what do they do first, in the middle of a massive crisis that might get them all sent to the corner? Of course they MAKE OUT. Keep in mind these are 11-year-olds. Right. It all goes downhill from there. The girls all procure weapons, slaughter everyone in their tower (it's super bloody!), then rescue the boys, who join in and slaughter all the men in their tower. Everyone except for that author, who plans to guide them to Milwaukee, where his girly novel was set.

This novel is entirely ridiculous, and not in a good way. I was super eager to get my hands on it because I loved Bird Box so much, but it's nothing like Bird Box. It seems like Malerman was in the middle of an almost passable YA novel, but then he decided it needed to be for adults. The stupid and unnecessary makeout sessions and absolute BLOODBATH don't happen until the last few pages of the book, making the whole situation even more confusing.

With the exception of Bird Box, I've been terribly disappointed with every single one of Malerman's novels, but I liked it so much that I still jump at the chance to read one. I think I might give up on him after this mess, and that makes me sad.

I enjoyed this creepy young adult horror novel. The premise was unique and compelling. The first 75% moved along at a steady pace with all of the fast-paced action happening in the latter part of the book. The ending was satisfying. 4/5 stars

This book was so good. A sci fi nature versus nurture debate meets horror fiction. I thought maybe we were in YA territory for a good chunk of the book, which honestly doesn't bother me because I love the books, but then the end was just nuts and decidedly not YA. In the midst of teens figuring stuff out, there are philosophical musings about where genius comes from, the value of a controlled upbringing with focused messages and lessons through scripted film and books - even the games are designed with the grand "experiment" in mind. Creative, dark, smart.

I actually really liked "Birdbox" and kind of hated "Unbury Carol," so I'm glad to be back on the Malerman train.

I wanted to love this book with all my heart. I loved Bird Box and enjoyed A House at the Bottom of A Lake. I did not like Unbury Carol and this book is somewhere in between. It’s weird and creepy for sure. But it’s also really long. A bunch of boys live in a castle like place “unspoiled” by girls. They are each named a letter in the alphabet (which is part of why I didn’t love this book right at the beginning - too many people to keep up with and no names for the characters). There is also a castle like place where all the girls live and they are also named after letters. They are supposed to be “better” smarter girls because there are no boys around. A cross between boarding schools and Scientology.

Oh, wow.
First off, I'd like to thank Net Galley and the Publisher for an Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review.
INSPECTION by Josh Malerman is a dark treat of a book and I am excited for others to read it. There is so much to digest and discuss.
The plot revolves around a group of boys and a group of girls--each raised in total isolation, unaware that the opposite sex exists--each given a letter as a name. The Alphabet Boys and the Letter Girls are raised by the Parenthood (an experimental, authoritarian regime reminiscent of 1984, Handmaid's Tale, other dystopian powers, etc...though I also got Standford Prison Experiment vibes) and their lives are thus manipulated and their knowledge controlled. It is a cruel experiment, one aimed at uncovering advanced intelligence, genius, creativity...and proving that it can be cultivated in a higher more precise fashion without the distraction of sexuality, sexual connection, and intimacy with the opposite sex. To say much more about how the plot unfolds would be to rob the experience, the discovery of reading the book.
I will say it begins rather slowly, and at first it can be confusing trying to remember the characters based solely off a letter. Once the story gets going, however, the central cast comes into sharp focus and the sinister suggestions and themes become evident. This book is a dark, grim fairy-tale of sorts and the latter half of the novel is a thrilling ride into a satisfying, albeit disturbing, finale.
This book is going to spark conversation. This book is Malerman's greatest yet. If you enjoyed Bird Box, buckle up. INSPECTION passes the test and in my opinion, stamps itself as Malerman's most towering piece of fiction yet.

I remember Todd Marinovich coming up in the late 80s. Nicknamed Robo QB, he was primed to be the best quarterback in the history of the game. His father started prepping him when he was not even out of the crib. Stretches, throwing mechanics, mental strength drills. He was dubbed "America's first test-tube athlete" in one Sports Illustrated article. Unfortunately, the glossy veneer surrounding Marinovich started to crack; his college and pro careers just didn't live up to the hype, and his practice of self-medication took its toll. I thought a lot about this while reading Inspection.

Malerman poses an experiment where twenty-six boys (Alphabet Boys) are isolated from society and brought up free of distractions. From unwanted teachings, thoughts, and especially the influence of the opposite sex. Everything within the Tower is regulated by D.A.D., he who runs the daily physical and mental Inspections. The boys are twelve now and close to the change of life. Everyone within the vacuum is nervously anticipating what puberty will bring to the boys and life within this restricted environment. Malerman shows us the action unfolding from several different perspectives: J, one of the boys who is starting question the system. D.A.D, who has righteous indignation of any and all opposition. Warren, a fiction writer who is hired to "publish" inspiration texts for the boys.

SPOILER PARAGRAPH:

The second half of the book reveals an identical Tower inhabited by 26 girls, a handful of Inspectors/ Teachers, and M.O.M. All is setup to be the same, but without the obvious influence of the opposite gender.

Yet, what happens if one is exposed to the other? The nefarious and the wicked?

The premise of this one is good, but the execution left a little bit to be desired. I will start with the things I liked. The overall premise is something that I will always be drawn to. The hunt for the perfect human, to create the perfect conditions, the experiment that will enable humanity to move forward. I found the characters to be unlikable in a good way. I didn't like D.A.D. nor did I really like Warren. They are obviously complicit in this abuse, and the underlying question is if they will pay for their wrongs or if they will repent. I'm going to leave it to you to read and find out.

The pacing is what held this one back for me. It is not until about half-way through the book that it really started moving. The reveals are slow to come, and much of the first part is dedicated to building the atmosphere, which unfortunately I thought was overdone and repetitive at times. The second half of the book ramps up the tension as the possibility of a perfect experiment is quickly lost and the test-tubes get exposed to contaminants. D.A.D. and the rest of the Parenthood try as they might to hold on to tighter to their control.

Like my example from modern-day sports, this book serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when too much control is exerted a person's life. A sly dystopian view that I thought could have used a bit more polish, but was inventive and thought provoking.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Releases on March 19th.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and the author for an advanced copy for review.