The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
monroebays's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a book about a man piecing together an unfinished academic book about a documentary about a very strange house. The story of the man working on the book and the book itself make up the majority of the text. As you can imagine, it’s confusing and very layered. At some point, it starts to try to loop you into the story.
Danielewski is obsessed with the mechanics of words, paper, and knowledge. This book presents you with a tangled mess, carefully curated to confuse you, move you, scare you. And because danielewski’s deep knowledge of words is on display, you’re left wondering how fully that mess can be cleaned up into a full narrative if only you read it properly. I finished the book with many mysteries unsolved, but find myself drawn back to the book again to investigate further. If you’ve read the book already, you understand why this effect is probably why the book’s horror is so effective.Â
At the end of the day, the story is kind of secondary to the reading experience. It’s crazy. It’s fun. It’s dark and sad and weird. Just give it a few chapters and see if it’s for you.Â
Graphic: Confinement, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Violence, Vomit, Infidelity, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
ethanlaz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Vomit, Sexual content, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Violence, Suicide, Medical trauma, Dementia, Cursing, Blood, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Death, Cancer, Body horror, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Medical content, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
ghostams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, Death, Murder, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Animal death, War, Sexual assault, and Cancer
cowboynixan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I truly think both the praise and criticism is super valid on both sides, its a VERY ambitious concept that you can either process as really cool and amazing or unnecessarily complecated, which in my opinion almost fits the book.
I also have talked to friends about this and everyone i know finds it overwhelming to think about starting it, but after about 40-70 pages you really get to know the flow easier and it feels less intimidating.
There was alot of aspects to this book, and it seems very overwhelming if you are looking for reviews to see if you should read this; here is my list of what i enjoyed and didnt about this book
Liked: the storyline of navidson and the house is really beautiful. If you like liminal space stuff like the backrooms this book feels like a must. The story is slow but you also want to absorb everything in the best way, so its worth it.
Disliked: very obviously, its extremely difficult to read as a normal book. All the layouts are odd, sometimes theres up to 5 overlapping concepts, and you dont have to actually read all of it. I also disliked
Neutral: this book is written mostly like an academic article. It didnt bug me at all and wasnt difficult to read but im currently a liberal arts major so this is easier and palatable for me to read this kind of writing.Â
Tips for reading this:
Before reading it i seperated parts into tabbed sections - the more empty pages having larger chunks, the intertwining writing being smaller chunks. It makes it alot more digestible. Also during the intertwining stories, finish the chapter and then go back a few pages and read the other seperately.
Good luck!
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Suicide, Rape, Alcoholism, Confinement, Eating disorder, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization
hfrancesh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Animal cruelty
becandbooks's review against another edition
From what I read, however, it is easy to understand how some readers become so invested in the story, but also how others struggle to find a story that is for them.
This is perfect for anyone who is chasing something like The Black Tapes podcast.
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Murder, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, Vomit, Alcohol, and Gun violence
→ trigger warnings: drug and alcohol use, alcoholism recounted, graphic body horror, murder mentioned (specifically of a sex worker), blood depiction recounted, graphic animal death/cruelty (decapitation) mentioned, gun violence, emesis,jzmnz's review against another edition
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
bites_of_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are many interpretations about this book, ranging from who is narrating, the true meaning of the house, and even the timeline of events.Â
I don't think I can recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun book to read, but if you're into deep dives into linguistics, philosophy, poetry, physics, with two side stories that tell the stories of deeply troubled characters.Â
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Death
chloebowie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
If this weren’t a buddy read I don’t think I would’ve finished it.Â
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Animal death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
unfinishedduet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Animal death, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Blood, Alcohol, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Child abuse, Addiction, Infidelity, Rape, Vomit, Physical abuse, Car accident, and Gore