Rawr Reader,
Oof, this is a hard one.
The synopsis of House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is provided by Goodreads:
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.
lives of their estranged children. Now, for the first time, this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and newly added 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.
Reference:
A booktuber/bookstagrammer I've followed since roughly 2013 named Katie, who also goes by the username ChapterStackss, has mentioned this book several times in her videos over the years. It took me until earlier this year when it popped up again somewhere, probably a bookstore e-newsletter under the Horror category, to consider giving it a read.
Review:
The first thing that comes mind upon finishing this is what a mind. Seriously, how intricate, how exploratory, how vivid, how encroaching. No one can approach House of Leaves with pre-conceived conventions. Horror is on every single page. Bumps in the night or in the shadows of memories. I want to heartily thank Mr. Danielewski for sitting down with his publisher and saying, "Just trust me on this."*
The novel follows two separate storylines, with multiple branches stemming from the main ones of Will Navidson, the filmmaker behind the documentary: The Navidson Record, and Johnny Truant who organized and added notes from a man named Zampanò who before him, obsessed to provide a cohesive and coherent understanding of the documentary.
It reminded me of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, part epistolary, part story within story, but then Danielewski got experimental because furthermore it's: part poetry, part documentary, part essay, part novel, part art, part obsession, part meta, wholly avant-garde. I carried this book, and spun it around, held it up and flipped back and forth because of the innumerable ways to read this. One of my favorite parts was when Danielewski would briefly hint at something mysterious going on from the perspective of one character, and then later on show the other side of the mystery from a different perspective so that we come full circle to a complete understanding of what the first character saw or said. I would be remiss to omit how down the rabbit hole you go with this. Almost never-ending, but in a way, do we want to find the end? Love me some Alice in Wonderland shenanigans. I did a quick check for an audiobook version (haha there is none) mostly just to see if it was possible to have this read in that format. I apologize for anyone that is legally blind. Secretly, a small part of me is glad that it can't be stolen by another medium. It's a book, and a book that cannot be bought. Try as it might, I don't think Hollywood would be able to bring this story justice.
Perhaps the most daunting thing aside from the length is the vocabulary. Which slowed my reading pace, however nourished my mind. (For any Outlander readers, let me know if it reminded you of Gabaldon.) Ah, to whet the mind, in the age of bustle and time is money, to sit and read a book, really read. Soak in the essence of a story, the voice of an author or the characters, be immersed in a world that makes me glad I live in this one.
I, for one, am not a horror fan. I don't voluntarily go to Halloween Horror Nights or be the first in line to the theater with popcorn and soda for the next horror blockbuster. It's a genre I treat myself to on occasion. And yet funnily enough, two of my top five reads this year have been in horror. Whodofthunk! As you've probably surmised by now throughout my reviews, I like to jump around genres; not committing this blog to any particular one. I have a gravity toward being an eclectic reader and it's something I try hard not to shy away from.
The nature of this novel after some time becomes very cultish. Not just within the novel. While I had a personal goal of finishing this in a week, requiring me to spend copious amounts of my free time focusing on reading this, I still found myself unable to put this book down. I had obligations elsewhere and I said no, and returned to the House. That's the pull this book has on you. Intertwining you the way Johnny becomes consumed by Zampanò's legacy of scribbles and notes.
Part of this appeal was the fact, like I mentioned earlier, this was so many stories in one. Not short stories, but stories within stories, within stories, within stories . . . Very Inceptionesque. A case of Storyception? Okay, I'll leave the humor to Johnny. The point is the structure was fascinating to me. If I had to ask one question to the author it might be how long it took him to try and structure this because it took forever reading, imagine having to figure the order out.
Now, as much as I extol, it would be untrue for me to say it's—from page 1 to the last—non-stop engrossing. I'll admit the times I put it down were in certain segments where the book became a little too experimental. (Mostly in Johnny's parts. Sorry Johnny.) In the rather droning, pedantic, edging toward pretentious scholarly structure of myths and philosophies dictations. But even these parts that dulled me were still a contribution to the tone of the story that, maybe, I couldn't appreciate the first read around.
House of Leaves is about obsession. It's about facing the truth you've refused to confront. Monsters and terror and gritty disappointments in life. One hat cerebral, one hat heartbreaking.
I rave about books because they offer something I've never seen before, something that enthralls me, and what I believe will capture you too. A challenge then, to find another novel that comes close to this.
Can there be another?
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Quote:
"We all create stories to protect ourselves."
"This is not for you."
—Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves
My Goodreads:
Next To Read:
In the Hall with the Knife by Diana Peterfreund
Spoilers:
I apologize. I honestly believe it's a disservice to spoil House of Leaves. There are a myriad of reviews, discussions, and spoilers on the interwebs that may explain any thoughts I might have better anyhoo.
Forgive me.
I will however add a fun fact and a question:
Fun fact: It didn't take me until pg 535/662 to realize there were actual real texts being cited. Not all granted, a lot of them are fake, but there were some real ones and when I realized that so close to the end I was embarrassed. But not enough to not share with you. :0)
Question: What was the third dream in chapter 17? Did I read that chapter too fast? Was it the Navidson Record itself??
Until Next Time,
Nicole Ciel
P.S. I like to listen to instrumental/film scores and here are a couple I recommend pairing while reading House of Leaves:
- Scenes from a Marriage Soundtrack by Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine
- The Revenant Soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto, alva noto, and Bryce Dessner
- The Haunting of Hill House Soundtrack by The Newton Brothers
- The Haunting of Bly Manor Soundtrack by The Newton Brothers
- Tales from the Loop Soundtrack by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan
P.P.S. Take notes reading this.
*not literally. (unless this really did happen . . . then baller)
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