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juushikaTitle: House of Leaves (The Remastered Full-Color Edition)
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Published: New York: Pantheon Books, 2000
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 709
Total Page Count: 68,284
Text Number: 196
Read For: personal enjoyment, purchased at Borders
Short review: In the apartment of a dead man, Johnny Truant discovers a manuscript by Zampanò, an academic study of a documentary called The Navidson Record in which journalist Navidson finds an impossible endless hallway within his house. Interweaving the events of the documentary with Zampanò and Truant's interjections, with copious footnotes, an unusual layout, and lengthy appendixes, House of Leaves is self-referential post-modern Lovecraftian horror which is as intriguing as it is pretentious. This novel must be read to believed, and it's a long journey not without faults, but I recommend it enthusiastically.
There are three stories here: Truant's life and past, the lingering hints of Zampanò's life, and Navidson's long journey into the endless bowels of his house. If that weren't enough, the text lies in columns and narrow blocks that mimic the house's hallways, words and passages appear in odd colors, and the footnotes have footnotes and reference books which don't exist. In short, House of Leaves has a lot going on, and it is an odd and a bold book from the first page. Reading it can be a labor—but it is a labor of love, because it offers so much.
In the vein of Lovecraft, House of Leaves is not the horror of ghosts or scary images, but rather the horror of the endless and terrifying unknown. Via some wonderful storytelling and the unusual layout Truant and the reader are dragged along through Navidson's explorations, and are frightened and threatened in turn. Books never scare me, but this one did—and for that alone I would recommend it. But House of Leaves offers more than just terror. The journey into the house is also a journey into the self, and it pushes explorers to their limits. As such, the book has a surprisingly strong human element—one which is a bit too present at the end, where the horror is exchanged for a resolution between Navidson and his wife. This was my least favorite part, and makes for a slow conclusion. Still, on the whole, the book is a careful combination of atmospheric Lovecraftian horror and delicate human exploration, and it succeeds at both.
Be willing to wade through footnotes, to flip to the appendix, to turn the book upside down and on edge; enjoy and find humor in the self-aware pretentious post-modernism; be fascinated the horror of the endless, incomprehensible unknown—and you will love this book. I did, nearly every word of it, and so I cannot recommend it highly enough. It may not be the book for everyone and it is not without fault, but it is undeniably brave and I only wish we saw more books like it. The endless dark inspires wonder and awe and fear, and when we look into it we will never escape the memory of what we see. At least, I hope not. I hope (and expect) that this book will stay with me forever.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Mark Z. Danielewski
Published: New York: Pantheon Books, 2000
Rating: 5 of 5
Page Count: 709
Total Page Count: 68,284
Text Number: 196
Read For: personal enjoyment, purchased at Borders
Short review: In the apartment of a dead man, Johnny Truant discovers a manuscript by Zampanò, an academic study of a documentary called The Navidson Record in which journalist Navidson finds an impossible endless hallway within his house. Interweaving the events of the documentary with Zampanò and Truant's interjections, with copious footnotes, an unusual layout, and lengthy appendixes, House of Leaves is self-referential post-modern Lovecraftian horror which is as intriguing as it is pretentious. This novel must be read to believed, and it's a long journey not without faults, but I recommend it enthusiastically.
There are three stories here: Truant's life and past, the lingering hints of Zampanò's life, and Navidson's long journey into the endless bowels of his house. If that weren't enough, the text lies in columns and narrow blocks that mimic the house's hallways, words and passages appear in odd colors, and the footnotes have footnotes and reference books which don't exist. In short, House of Leaves has a lot going on, and it is an odd and a bold book from the first page. Reading it can be a labor—but it is a labor of love, because it offers so much.
In the vein of Lovecraft, House of Leaves is not the horror of ghosts or scary images, but rather the horror of the endless and terrifying unknown. Via some wonderful storytelling and the unusual layout Truant and the reader are dragged along through Navidson's explorations, and are frightened and threatened in turn. Books never scare me, but this one did—and for that alone I would recommend it. But House of Leaves offers more than just terror. The journey into the house is also a journey into the self, and it pushes explorers to their limits. As such, the book has a surprisingly strong human element—one which is a bit too present at the end, where the horror is exchanged for a resolution between Navidson and his wife. This was my least favorite part, and makes for a slow conclusion. Still, on the whole, the book is a careful combination of atmospheric Lovecraftian horror and delicate human exploration, and it succeeds at both.
Be willing to wade through footnotes, to flip to the appendix, to turn the book upside down and on edge; enjoy and find humor in the self-aware pretentious post-modernism; be fascinated the horror of the endless, incomprehensible unknown—and you will love this book. I did, nearly every word of it, and so I cannot recommend it highly enough. It may not be the book for everyone and it is not without fault, but it is undeniably brave and I only wish we saw more books like it. The endless dark inspires wonder and awe and fear, and when we look into it we will never escape the memory of what we see. At least, I hope not. I hope (and expect) that this book will stay with me forever.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
