House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
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Book Reviews of House of Leaves
Book Review: Popular Literary Prose
Summary: 5 Stars
I almost hesitated to add my thoughts to the reviews listed on this book, but after reading the most recent contributions here I thought it important to say something now, while I'm still in the "impassioned and excited" stage of discovering the narrative.A few of the reviews you'll read below are obviously from academics--as a "refugee" from that world, i recognize their voices anywhere. They tend to take text much to seriously, deconstructing on a level that the average reader just doesn't comprehend or care about. Sort of like listening to Chopin and arguing about someone's technique.
However, the irony is it is only someone who has been part of that academic madness who can appreciate the full scope of what is going on in this book--the endless citations, and references, appendixes, and superficially meaningless trivia. The intent is to create a literary dissertation, so convinced of its own truth that the reader is fooled into thinking it is fact.
That is not to say that it is not good popular fiction; on the contrary, it is emotionally gripping and terrifying in how it speaks to the soul. But the plot is not the relevant focal point, and whether or not we buy the mystery of the house and the terror it inspires--real or imagined--is not what "sells" the piece. Instead it is the details, the little things that are almost lost in the grandness of this experiment. Like a lonely woman who practices her smile in the mirror. An irrational fear of space where you swear something is coming for you, but it never does. It is a narrative of moments. The concept reminds me of the novel "The Hours," only instead of happiness being seized in the small details, it is terror.
As a scholar, I am in awe of what Danielewski has accomplished, but as a woman who has woke up in the middle of the night swearing I've just seen the shadow of something pass over my bed--I'm not so much terrified as relieved that I'm not alone in that paranoia.
All that said, I will put this as simple as I can: This is the first book in a long time I not only couldn't put down, but was excited enough to recommend to my friends--and to you now as well.
Book Review: House of Leaves ... simply amazing
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, first off ... I have to admit ... I have not finished reading this novel yet. But I have to say, as a visual artist this has got to be the most interesting book I've come across.
It is a very thick book. Not exactly light reading by any means. But the book is presented in many forms, coming from many personas and suggested publication sources. Very docudrama-oriented, which completely reflects the nature of the focal character of the work. A fiction labyrinth that not only emotionally rips at you as you journey along into the destructive innards of the 'house' { always appearing in blue throughout the book, typically with some strange baseline shift to certain character }, but it also visually falls apart and creates semantic realities that only make sense in the multi-thread mayhem created by Danielewski.
Certain pages have boxes of lists that literally dissolve through from page to page to page. Upside-down text ... fictitious footnotes that sometimes continue on for many pages at time. Various font usage to indicate different streams per character.
The 'house' is a monster that breathes and destroys. Representing something dark and horrid about our times.
The type falls apart mid-novel ... until only one word per page teases you along.
Danielewski paints such a believable portrait of a filmmaker's madness and obsession with the 'house' through footnotes, references, lists, magazine and journal articles ... it reminds me of the hyperreality that Nicholson Baker presents in novels like Vox or The Fermata, only steeped with an intellectually dank serious filter strewn with dust and blood, creaking wooden floors, nightmarish in every aspect. Sinister.
You have to read this book.
I bought it 5 years ago ... let it sit on a shelf for far too long. Once I picked it up, I was hooked, hypnotized, entranced, bewildered. Just amazing writing that draws you in. I highly recommend it, even if you never finish it { not sure that I will }, it leaves an impression and makes you believe in the impossible.
A true vision and masterpiece. Perfect.
Book Review: Book worth re-reading.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a tricky review... this book was without a doubt my favorite book of the past year, but there are times during which it bored me (history of the Minotaur chapter). This book is many stories in one; the (possibly) crazied researcher, the photographer in over his head, and the unsure twenty-something thrown into the mix. But the mix of these three, with their own individual and well-defined voices, is what makes the book.
If one was to read this cover-to-cover you great a great story that just drags you down into it (like an expanding hallway). Once I figured out part of this book I could not put it down. This book is complex yet rewarding, slowly unfolding each part and leaving you with a new guess.
There are two things that push House of Leaves over the top for me. The first is something not to do with the book, but with the sister of the author (Mark Danielewski). The author's sister is the musician Poe and she wrote a CD in tandem with her brother writing this book. The CD is called "Haunted" and the book and the CD play off of each other. At one point I was reading about a girl sitting alone on stairs singing "Ba-da-ba-ba" to comfort herself, at the same time a song from "Haunted" that I was listening to went "The voices that are carrying this tune, Ba-da-ba-ba, Ba-da-ba-ba." It is a rare treat to have the world of a book be carried into another space such as music. Musically the CD itself keeps its end up, matching the different styles of the book and keeping with its high level of quality.
The second great part of House of Leaves is that you can re-read the book and have an entirely different ride. Throughout the book the chapters are divided into different voices. If you go back and re-read just the photographer and the 20-something guy parts the House of Leaves turns into a credible thriller novel. Read a different combination and you receive a different feel. It has been a while since I have been able to go back to a novel and come away with a new experiance.
Book Review: A must read for all literary enthusiasts
Summary: 5 Stars
Being midway through my career as an English and Philosophy double major at a small private, undergraduate college, I am always on the lookout for literature that is at the cutting edge of its field. I feel no shame in stating that I am wont to wandering through bookstores and picking out, at random, those books whose covers catch my eye. I don't always purchase them as a result of this, but I always give them a look through, flip the pages, see what there is to see. When I came across House of Leaves, I was at first wary. "A family that discover their house is bigger on the inside..." was certainly a description to catch the eye, but could I really handle the "upside down" footnotes? The scattered pages? It made me nervous so I put it back down and walked away. But the book haunted me even before I picked it up, and some time later I returned and bought a copy. The exposition of the novel is good, but didn't draw me in as I wanted it to and so at first I was disappointed, thinking that once again the synopsis of the book would be better than the read itself. Curiousity forced me to persist, however, and several dozen pages into it I found that I could not put it down. I was often so anxious to find out what happened next that I would begin to skim pages, only to force myself to slow down and go back to absorb them properly.
Danielewski's end result is a fast-paced, clever invention that haunts me even months after I've closed it. It's one of those books that I feel I must always take with me, and guard because the words therein are precious and must be protected from those who do not understand, or appreciate. Truly a stunning read, but not for the faint of heart, and not for those who aren't willing to put a little effort into their reading.
This book requires a strict appreciation for literary experimentation. If you're a writer, as I am, it's the kind of book you always wished you'd had the guts to put on paper. Brava, Mr. Danielewski, brava.
Book Review: One of those few books that changes the way you think...
Summary: 5 Stars
Just flipping through the pages of House Of Leaves, one can see that it's anything but an ordinary read. Paragraphs written sideways, "missing" bits of text, and pages with one or two words on them, all help to develop the book's incredible sense of foreboding and unease. There are also a ton of footnotes included (many simply for interests sake), and going through them all makes for a considerably labyrinthine reading experience. In fact, there's a whole chapter devoted to labyrinths. Go figure.While some tote this book as a thriller, I disagree. Granted, there are a few places where there is a feeling of suspense in the air, but most of the book is just really, really interesting reading. There are philosophical quotes, stories of life on the streets, examinations in psychology, and pretty much everything else included within the confines of it's pages.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing things about the book however, is it's deep dissection of it's own components (a novel that studies itself). The Truant and editorial comments, as well as the professional quotes all come together to create something of an examination of the book, within the book (it is written as a documentary after all), which leaves us with both more, and less to think about once we're through. On one hand, this professional dissection of the novel answers many of the questions for us, giving us little to wonder about. Adversely, we can take our own perspective on these examinations and develop a personal view of the events in the book. Despite all the theories, and interviews included, however, there is still a great deal of material left to our imaginations.
Overall, House Of Leaves may just be the best book I've ever read, and I recommend it to anyone who likes to form their own opinions about what they read. I will warn you, however, that the ending is somewhat inconclusive, and there are many unanswered questions. Depending on you're approach to the book, this may or may not be a good thing.