House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is a complex and ambitious novel that delves into the mysterious record of a house that defies physics, expanding and lacking spatial boundaries. The story is told unconventionally through different perspectives, utilizing unique page layouts, sentences, paragraphs, and words to create imagery that parallels the narrative. The book also incorporates numerous footnotes that reference various elements, both real and imaginary, adding layers of depth to the storytelling.
The narrative structure of the book weaves together multiple stories within stories, creating a layered and enthralling journey into the unknown. Readers are drawn into the tale of The Navidson Record, told through the lenses of Zampano and Johnny Truant, each contributing to the unfolding mystery of the house that challenges reality. The book's presentation and narrative style offer a blend of horror, academic critique, and metafictional elements, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for House of Leaves include themes of mental illness, substance abuse, emotional trauma, and existential crises that may be triggering or disturbing for readers.
From The Publisher:
"A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious." -The New York Times
Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth - musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies - the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.
Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices.
The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story - of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.
Ratings (194)
Incredible (66) | |
Loved It (54) | |
Liked It (31) | |
It Was OK (25) | |
Did Not Like (11) | |
Hated It (7) |
Reader Stats (700):
Read It (193) | |
Currently Reading (21) | |
Want To Read (385) | |
Did Not Finish (25) | |
Not Interested (76) |
8 comment(s)
it was really slow paced and i had to return it to the library
Fascinating, one of a kind read. So glad I stumbled upon it.
It was definitely an unique reading experience and for that it would have gotten 5 stars for sheer creativity. But the story itself wasn't as fascinating and not a story I'll carry in my mind for a long time. But I'm glad I read it and it was quite fun. Would hope there will be more books like this in the future
As others have said, incredibly ambitious work and very artistic. While I can appreciate the stylistic choices with the font and placement, it was more distracting than it was engaging. Only when I reflect back on it do I think "that was kind of cool". Otherwise, having to turn the book upside-down, or flip back pages took me out of the moment and broke the spell.
The first third to half of the book was definitely horror, though more the "unsettling, creepy" type which I enjoyed thoroughly. I can see why some people would hate the book with it's endless footnotes, many completely fabricated, and all the tangents and references. It can read like some PhD thesis at points. Seems like MZD was one of those students who thought "when am I ever going to need THIS in life?" and decided to make all those lessons on Greek mythology and early explorers mean something. That said, I didn't mind it.
I wasn't a huge fan of the ending for this type of book. Also, others have mentioned the gratuitous sexual references made by Johnny get tiresome. I'll probably re-read this at some point, but the last third really slowed down and I lost interest.
I wasn't in grad school when I read this book, but I had heard it was being assigned in grad schools, so I was really impressed by it. In retrospect, it's still a good book, but might strain your patience.
What I got from this book:
Everyone, especially Johnny, in the book is insane, and if you take this book to seriously or try to find some universal meaning in it, you too will go insane.
Interesting read though.
Pretentious
Pretentious and hard to stay invested
What can you read after
House of Leaves?
About the Author:
MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI was born in New York City and lives in Los Angeles. He is the author of House of Leaves, The Whalestoe Letters, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, and The Familiar.http://www.markzdanielewski.com/
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