A review by cowboynixan
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
Debating between a 3.5 and 4 star, so it might change overtime
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.
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!
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
Spoiler
truants constant talk about him sleeping with every woman he meets because all of them want to have sex with him, which adds to the positive of him being an unreliable narratorNeutral: 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.
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!
Content Warnings
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