Reviews

Weird, super creepy and weird. In the best way possible. I bought this because hell yes, experimental fiction, and I expected it to be good--didn't realise how good! I read this in a bit of a feverish state over five days and I'm so glad I did. The character reading along with me was frenzied and unable to get the book out of his head and I found that I was expecting for the manifestation of the monster to break the fourth wall and prove that I was just part of the story. I was so pleased that the trippy font and formatting choices proved to add deliciously to the story.

UPDATE 2023

Reading this for a second time was an absolute treat. I loved getting to analyse all the themes closer and think critically about all the layers of the story. Just as creepy the second time around.

jesslk's review against another edition

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5.0

How do I even begin to talk about this book

giggles692's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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? It's complicated

4.0

This is probably one of the most challenging books I've ever read - I probably picked it up and started it 5 times across 10 years before finally getting through it all. Literary wise it's a thrill - keeping track of the the characters in all their timelines and perspectives was a challenge, and I loved the way the book showed all the different ways the house affected folks. Definitely recommend!

Content Warnings

colin_h_atx's review against another edition

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5.0

So far it seems like this is a horror story about film criticism. I don't know. I'm only half way through.

Now that I'm finished I'm sure this was a horror story about film criticism.

st_vasil's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A slow, captivating, overwrought, exciting, frustrating, beautiful read. Definitely several of the chapters were completely unnecessary, and the philosophical style writing gets really quick. Yes, the author puts some ironic distance between it with layers of meta fiction (it’s the kooky Zampano’s writing after all) but that doesn’t change the fact that the reader has to trudge through it. Otherwise, I still don’t know how to feel about this one, I think it will be sitting with me for a bit. If you like overdone, floral writing you will love this book. Otherwise you may still love it, but again treat it as an experience in itself. Last 100 pages or so I thought were incredibly powerful.

katj3x's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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