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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Goddamn I love this book.
At first glance, Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves appears to be a horror/thriller/suspense novel with a haunted labyrinth, but at its core it is a romantic tale about haunted & lost hearts that must endure an endless and vast darkness (emptiness?) in order to find their way back to the light. The light, of course, is the loving embrace of those that they stand to lose if they let the darkness consume them.
Een verhaal van een huis van een man van een gezin van een oude man van een junkie.
Een boek dat alleen maar kan bestaan als een boek en elke bladzijde ten volle benut.
Een boek dat alleen maar kan bestaan als een boek en elke bladzijde ten volle benut.
This was a beautiful, clever, and frustrating book. The way the design of this book reflects the engrossing and wonderful story, told through an examination of a film, of the Navidsons and their labyrinth of a house is fascinating, although it demands much of the reader. But the story of the editor/discoverer of the manuscript, told through extensive footnotes, was one I had a hard time caring about and often left me questioning whether the amount of work it took to read this book was always worth it. Nevertheless, I think someday I shall give it another read and see how my feelings about it change. There is a lot to chew on here, and I recommend the experience despite its flaws.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
How do you write a review for this book without writing a series of essays and sounding as bad shit crazy as Zampano or Truant?
If you like puzzles and mysteries (and footnotes), this book may just be for you.
The labyrinth imagery thought this book is not only a physical thing happening in the book, but a break in the 4th wall and happening to the reader as well. All the footnotes are designed to lead the reader down paths not in the "main" narrative flow.
There are essentially three main stories here. The most straight forward and accessible is the account of the house on Ash Tree Ln that's bigger on the inside, The Navidson Record. The subsequent documentaries let to a fascination with the house. When this book is described as horror it's these sections, with it's use of liminal spaces, mysterious monster growls, and missing people.
Then there's the collection of various academic papers and articles written about the events, complied by the blind man Zampano. There's a critique of academia here, especially when you look at a blind man writing about a film.
Finally there's the young man, Johnny Truant, who collects and organizes Zampano's notes, while adding his own diary-like entries, to make the book we're reading, House of Leaves. Here we look at madness and unreliable narrators.
This book is working on so many levels, you seriously need corkboards and string to link it all together. Throw in Greek (and Norse) mythology, the science of sound, and an appreciation of breaking the 4th wall, and you've got yourself one hell of a book.
I'm sure I've forgotten half of the things I was thinking about and looking up while reading this book. Like I said, a more thorough review would end up like a Zampano section of the book. This is a book I will definitely revisit in the future. I think subsequent rereads will only enhance your experience with House of Leaves. Danielewski is one crazy smart author putting this all together, remember everything in this book is there intentionally.
If you like puzzles and mysteries (and footnotes), this book may just be for you.
The labyrinth imagery thought this book is not only a physical thing happening in the book, but a break in the 4th wall and happening to the reader as well. All the footnotes are designed to lead the reader down paths not in the "main" narrative flow.
There are essentially three main stories here. The most straight forward and accessible is the account of the house on Ash Tree Ln that's bigger on the inside, The Navidson Record. The subsequent documentaries let to a fascination with the house. When this book is described as horror it's these sections, with it's use of liminal spaces, mysterious monster growls, and missing people.
Then there's the collection of various academic papers and articles written about the events, complied by the blind man Zampano. There's a critique of academia here, especially when you look at a blind man writing about a film.
Finally there's the young man, Johnny Truant, who collects and organizes Zampano's notes, while adding his own diary-like entries, to make the book we're reading, House of Leaves. Here we look at madness and unreliable narrators.
This book is working on so many levels, you seriously need corkboards and string to link it all together. Throw in Greek (and Norse) mythology, the science of sound, and an appreciation of breaking the 4th wall, and you've got yourself one hell of a book.
I'm sure I've forgotten half of the things I was thinking about and looking up while reading this book. Like I said, a more thorough review would end up like a Zampano section of the book. This is a book I will definitely revisit in the future. I think subsequent rereads will only enhance your experience with House of Leaves. Danielewski is one crazy smart author putting this all together, remember everything in this book is there intentionally.
challenging
dark
mysterious
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was not interested in most of the story and had no clue what was happening most of the time so I had to backtrack and reread. Just not for me.
This is a book about a family whose house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside - a house with a dark labyrinth and abyss where scary and anxiety- and claustrophobia-inducing things happen. The noteworthy trait of this book is its structure: the text is designed to depict the form of the labyrinth, the abyss, and the emptiness of the house. I picked up this book because I was intrigued by its form and it did not disappoint (at one point the text could only be read in front of a mirror or upside down, etc.). I've heard mixed reviews about it: that the style is brilliant, that it's gimmicky; that it's a horror story, that it's a love story. I'd say that it's definitely all those things. The experience can feel very artificial at times, but it's still a curious book to read. There are moments of true horror in the story, but it's not entirely plot-driven, as the story is as much about the characters' relationships as it is about the house. I would have liked to see more development of the peripheral characters, especially the children, though. One final thing to note: the story about the house is a story within a story within a story. It was the subject of an alleged documentary about which a guy named Zampanó wrote an article. A guy named Johnny Truant (who interjects and sets the narrative throughout) found this article and his publication of the article with his commentary is House of Leaves. It's as much a story of Johnny Truant as it is about the house and the other characters. An enjoyable read, although now that I've done it, I probably wouldn't go through it again.
This has to be the most mind-fucking book I've ever read! Such an amazing form, but not at the expense of content. Needs many many rereads. Wish I had more than one life.