Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
I think two terms really, really help to describe the general feel of this book: "Esoteric" and "Unreliable Narrator." This book, in its content, format, pacing, multiple authors and editors and footnotes and citations, can be deeply, deeply confusing. I think I could read this book 5 times and still come out of the other side with questions. If you are interested in trying to decipher a book that really does feel like it started as a critical review of a piece of media and ended as a culmination of multiple people's blurred spirals into madness, this is for you. But know that at least for me, diving into that challenge meant that I loved some parts of this book, and other parts felt painfully slow and agonizing to read through. I also think this is the longest book I've ever read, and some parts of the book really do read like a critical and highly technical article, which was interesting to experience coming out of college with experience reading similarly challenging papers.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I also was hoping that there would be a bigger overarching conclusion to the story - maybe something written by Ed, to tie in Appendix III and update us on what happened to Truant and Navidson (I feel like I remember reading Navidson didn't survive? What happened to Zampanó to lead to his death? What is The Last Interview? Why was the word "House" blue? Why is Yggdrasil at the end of the book? Honestly, I feel I read somewhere that Navidson didn't make it out of the house, but the closest match I can find now to where my thought that Navidson had died was from Page 7, where it is referenced that Navidson is like a spectre and hasn't been reached since The Navidson Record was released. But perhaps those unanswered questions are just part of the appeal of this book - to leave the reader in such confusion that it sparks a journey to understand the book, its mysteries, and uncover the truth behind the book. A journey similar to what Navidson takes for his own house. A quote I really like that I feel partly rings true for readers of the book can be found on p. 527:
"Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer."
I may try to uncover some more mysteries about this book. I have a lot of questions left unanswered, and after skimming back through, re-reading the introduction or Ch. I-IV may help to resolve some of those questions. I remember seeing strange dots in Ch. VIII, and strange symbols in Ch. IX. But maybe Truant's first words are all I need to wrap the story up on my own:
"This is not for you."
I really did enjoy reading through this book though. Formatting, content, and narrator-wise, it attempts some incredibly novel things. Reading about a character through a dead man's writing, which is edited by someone spiraling into madness and re-edited by another team, is really cool. I wish it played with the use of the appendices more - there are a lot of collages and images that I didn't feel I explored - but overall this is a really cool book. I can see some inspiration for things like MyHouse.wad and the backrooms that may have come from this. I wish it felt easier to read through the book, but it's possible it is my own inexperience with reading that led to my lack of immersion. I am still very glad I finished it. I'll be thinking about this book for awhile.
Favorite quotes:
Tom gets by, Navidson succeeds. Tom just wants to be, Navidson must become. And yet despite such obvious differences, anyone who looks past Tom's wide grin and considers his eyes will find surprisingly deep pools of sorrow. Which is how we know they are brothers, because like Tom, Navidson's eyes share the same water. (p. 32)
People frequently comment on the emptiness in one night stands, but emptiness here has always been just another word for darkness. Blind encounters writing sonnets no one can ever read. Desire and pain communicated in the vague language of sex. (p. 265)
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child abuse, Car accident, Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Child abuse, Violence, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Car accident
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Lesbophobia
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment