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porcelainheart_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I was interested in this cult classic after reading the blurb for it on Amazon - a line of which claimed that this book was the sole inspiration for the backrooms. Having finally read this for myself, I can honestly say the blurb and description don't do this book any justice whatsoever. In fact, I think it's intentionally misleading. It makes you think you're about to read something along the lines of Coraline, where things aren't what they appear on the outside as opposed to the inside. A morbid yet whimsical story with a happy ending.
What you get instead is a slow catalogued descent into catatonic madness. It starts innocently enough, albeit dark, but progressively gets worse the more you readand subsequently, the more Johnny reads and gets involved himself . I see why this book has received the praise and admiration it has over the years - it captures with disturbingly accurate and horrifying clarity someone edging closer and closer towards the brink of insanity, to be finally being pushed off that edge, all at the turn of the century. It is highly recommended (and almost required) to read a physical copy of this book, especially for first-timers. The rambling passages from both Johnny and Zampanô, directly implying that the same madness that overtook him in life has been passed on to Johnny when he began transcribing his manuscript after his death , crossed out/destroyed sections, small details added into each section, the footnotes and end notes, and bizarre formatting all add to the oppressive feeling of complete derealization of the self, the ever-slipping grip of mental stability, and the overwhelming dread that this story won't have a happy ending. For anyone.
The lucid moments of clarity are seamlessly integrated with the slow descent into utter mental chaos, making it extremely difficult at times to tell what's real and what isn't, what really happened and what didn't happen. Many times as I read this book, I started questioning whether or not some of the personal interjections written by Johnny Truantmore specifically, the sexual encounters he seems to have with every one of Zampanô's personal readers that he manages to get in contact with were actually fabricated by Truant for reasons that weren't clear at first. Only to learn that Truant was truthful in his admissions and fully admits where he lies about events and where he doesn't, somehow managing to keep even that ability despite his crumbling mental state.
Ingeniously enough, this book also makes you think that everything you're reading about is also real.The Navidson Record, all the reviews and comments about the film from celebrities and movie critics, the academic talks and papers analyzing and scrutinizing mundane aspects of the film such as Will Navidson's return to the house on Ash Tree Lane towards the end, all of it immaculately detailed to the point of exceptional plausibility. It feels like this actually happened . It lends credence to what I'm sure is a popular fan theory about the story - everything in the manuscript written by Zampanô; the film, the house, the stories and all the key players involved, occurred in an alternate reality.
The frequent discrepancies of time that are present throughout the story are more than just a side effect of Truant's obsession that eventually leads to a severe damaging of his sanity. Zampanô's madnessand consequently, his blindness were likely caused by somehow glimpsing into this reality where a house existed in the Virginia countryside that, as he put it, constituted "a rape of physics " by producing rooms and hallways totally invisible to the outside world. A reality where such a house needed to be photographed and documented visually, else no one on the planet would believe it actually existed. And a house where so much evidence was compiled, it was turned into a major motion picture premiering around the world. Except that world wasn't our own.
The existence of this alternate timeline and reality, as well as a sudden rift within time itself that would make this reality cross over into our current reality, would be sufficient evidence for the manuscript's contentsespecially Johnny's encounter with the band that plays at the bar in Flagstaff. Their lyrics make mention of the Five and a Half Minute Hallway referenced in Zampanô's manuscript, and they have a published copy of the very manuscript he's currently transcribing, well before he is finished with it . The idea that something this elaborate is totally made up, by someone who possessed no post-secondary educational degrees and who had been completely blind for well over two decades is practically inconceivable.
If you've ever thought of what it must feel like to experience a psychotic break in real time, look no further than this book. Believe the thousands of reviews left of it on Amazon, Goodreads, Google and everywhere else that chronicles book reviews.
What you get instead is a slow catalogued descent into catatonic madness. It starts innocently enough, albeit dark, but progressively gets worse the more you read
The lucid moments of clarity are seamlessly integrated with the slow descent into utter mental chaos, making it extremely difficult at times to tell what's real and what isn't, what really happened and what didn't happen. Many times as I read this book, I started questioning whether or not some of the personal interjections written by Johnny Truant
Ingeniously enough, this book also makes you think that everything you're reading about is also real.
The frequent discrepancies of time that are present throughout the story are more than just a side effect of Truant's obsession that eventually leads to a severe damaging of his sanity. Zampanô's madness
The existence of this alternate timeline and reality, as well as a sudden rift within time itself that would make this reality cross over into our current reality, would be sufficient evidence for the manuscript's contents
If you've ever thought of what it must feel like to experience a psychotic break in real time, look no further than this book. Believe the thousands of reviews left of it on Amazon, Goodreads, Google and everywhere else that chronicles book reviews.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Blood, Death, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
ghostams's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- 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
I really liked the ‘main’ plot, but the formatting and pacing was hard to deal with. Core concept very cool in my opinion, just not executed well for me😅
Content Warnings
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
aguywhopatsdogs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
While I enjoyed the footnotes, multiple authors, and unconventional format at first, it got old. What felt new and exciting at the beginning, felt like a gimmick towards the middle and end. Truant was interesting at first, but the more I read, the less I liked him, and by the end I wanted no part of what he had to say. I also get that the Zampano/Textbook portions are there as critique of that culture, but it's still really, really boring to read, and there's a ton of it. My favorite part was when we're with Navidson and the House . That was engaging, and I was invested in the characters (until a footnote going into one of Johnny Truant's gratuitous sexual escapades ground the story to a halt.)
The "fun" of this book is that it's a labyrinth in itself, and requires the reader to be fully invested in figuring out what is happening. I've heard you get more out of this book the more you put in, but I was left unsatisfied (personally) with what I got out of it. I flipped to the footnotes/appendices, went back and reread sections, "deciphered" (or looked up) a code here and there, but ultimately what I got did not enhance the experience.
This book almost entirely rests on whether or not you're willing to engage on a "meta" level. If that sounds fun to you, I actually think you're going to LOVE this book. It's chock full of that. There are whole websites, forums, and subreddits dedicated to figuring out what is actually going on. A person could spend hours diving into all that, and I'm sure that's a part of why this book is as beloved as it is. I personally wasn't able to connect with it on that level. It's a bit of a bummer, but it is what it is. The first line in this book is "This is not for you," and that was true for me.
The "fun" of this book is that it's a labyrinth in itself, and requires the reader to be fully invested in figuring out what is happening. I've heard you get more out of this book the more you put in, but I was left unsatisfied (personally) with what I got out of it. I flipped to the footnotes/appendices, went back and reread sections, "deciphered" (or looked up) a code here and there, but ultimately what I got did not enhance the experience.
This book almost entirely rests on whether or not you're willing to engage on a "meta" level. If that sounds fun to you, I actually think you're going to LOVE this book. It's chock full of that. There are whole websites, forums, and subreddits dedicated to figuring out what is actually going on. A person could spend hours diving into all that, and I'm sure that's a part of why this book is as beloved as it is. I personally wasn't able to connect with it on that level. It's a bit of a bummer, but it is what it is. The first line in this book is "This is not for you," and that was true for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
elinor__dashwood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this is either the most pretentious, ostentatious book i've ever read or the deepest horror story i've ever encountered, but the academic metafiction really sold it for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
cgoiris's review against another edition
This is a difficult one to give stars. I sort of think I get what the author was trying to do. I can see multiple layers to the story, from criticising media critics to trying to evoke a deeply unsettled feeling that follows the reader beyond the book.
But there were also parts I despised. Why does every woman in this book have to be profoundly damaged? Why does Bambi never really get a personality beyond motherly concern for our main character? Why does the author try to establish deep and bleak backstories with a couple of sentences, multiple times? It's already a 700 page book, trees died for this, don't be shy, flesh it out.
I'm gonna try to do the content warnings but I'm probably gonna forget a few because there's A LOT.
But there were also parts I despised. Why does every woman in this book have to be profoundly damaged? Why does Bambi never really get a personality beyond motherly concern for our main character? Why does the author try to establish deep and bleak backstories with a couple of sentences, multiple times? It's already a 700 page book, trees died for this, don't be shy, flesh it out.
I'm gonna try to do the content warnings but I'm probably gonna forget a few because there's A LOT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug use, and Cursing
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
wizardhugs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i loved the experience of reading this book. not just the infamous bizarre page layouts, but the psuedo-academic analysis of this nonexistant house is a blast. this book is not for everyone, however i cannot help but use this book as a litmus test for who i can and cannot truly vibe with.
as for the actual plot and content, i thoroughly enjoyed what was going on, and watching the personal struggles of these characters unfold, reflected in their work. i have a lot of analysis and digging to do aftet reading, but i highly recommend house of leaves -- there is no wrong way to read it. i cannot stop talking about it either.
as for the actual plot and content, i thoroughly enjoyed what was going on, and watching the personal struggles of these characters unfold, reflected in their work. i have a lot of analysis and digging to do aftet reading, but i highly recommend house of leaves -- there is no wrong way to read it. i cannot stop talking about it either.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Rape
uppercase's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
bites_of_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
The amount of effort and work that went into House of Leaves is something that I can really appreciate. There were certain sections where the creepiness of the darkness inside the house was truly palpable but anytime that I was close to diving deep into that horror, the academic style of writing took me away from it. At times I was also really interested in the academic discussions regarding subjects ranging from physics to history and linguistics, but it was truly difficult to call it an enjoyable experience.
There are many interpretations about this book, ranging from who is narrating, the true meaning of the house, and even the timeline of events.
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.
There are many interpretations about this book, ranging from who is narrating, the true meaning of the house, and even the timeline of events.
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.
Content Warnings
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
abandonedmegastructure's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
House of Leaves explores the very limits of what can be done with ink on paper.
A suspenseful tale of exploration into the unknown is enhanced with layers of symbolism, discussion, meta-discussion, and mythological allusions. The result is an enthralling novel, fundamentally mysterious yet deeply compelling, which invites its reader to join in the analytical discussions that take center stage from time to time. The book plays with page structure, footnotes, the fourth wall, text markup, and anything else you could imagine. It goes beyond having an unreliable narrator and straight-up invites us to question the narrator's existence; just another part of the fun it's having exploring the concept of writing (not writing - chronicling? depicting? recording? knowing?) itself. It touches on themes of cosmic horror, religion, mental illness, and the human subconscious, though if I had to pin down a single theme I'd say this is a book about absences first and foremost.
I realize I might be making this book sound like a pretentious tome that's more concerned with being clever than being readable. And to be fair, there are some pseudo-academic bits that go on for too long, and they're the reason I'm not giving this a 5/5. But the various narratives interwoven through the book are insanely well-written and evocative (not to mention disturbing), the main characters slowly reveal more of their fascinating yet flawed selves, and the references and metatextual elements add to their stories, rather than distracting from them. Even when viewed purely as a story, House of Leaves holds up extremely well; everything else is just a bonus.
A final thought: I've seen a lot of people call this a horror novel, and I get where they're coming from, but I found the text intriguing more than scary even at the most uncanny points. If you've been put off by the horror label, and would otherwise have considered reading the book, I encourage you to try it out anyway.
A suspenseful tale of exploration into the unknown is enhanced with layers of symbolism, discussion, meta-discussion, and mythological allusions. The result is an enthralling novel, fundamentally mysterious yet deeply compelling, which invites its reader to join in the analytical discussions that take center stage from time to time. The book plays with page structure, footnotes, the fourth wall, text markup, and anything else you could imagine. It goes beyond having an unreliable narrator and straight-up invites us to question the narrator's existence; just another part of the fun it's having exploring the concept of writing (not writing - chronicling? depicting? recording? knowing?) itself. It touches on themes of cosmic horror, religion, mental illness, and the human subconscious, though if I had to pin down a single theme I'd say this is a book about absences first and foremost.
I realize I might be making this book sound like a pretentious tome that's more concerned with being clever than being readable. And to be fair, there are some pseudo-academic bits that go on for too long, and they're the reason I'm not giving this a 5/5. But the various narratives interwoven through the book are insanely well-written and evocative (not to mention disturbing), the main characters slowly reveal more of their fascinating yet flawed selves, and the references and metatextual elements add to their stories, rather than distracting from them. Even when viewed purely as a story, House of Leaves holds up extremely well; everything else is just a bonus.
A final thought: I've seen a lot of people call this a horror novel, and I get where they're coming from, but I found the text intriguing more than scary even at the most uncanny points. If you've been put off by the horror label, and would otherwise have considered reading the book, I encourage you to try it out anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Child abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Blood, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexual violence, Body horror, Rape, Infidelity, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Suicide
venusmage's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A brilliant work of narrative meta analysis, looking childhood/family trauma and the failures of parents (and the children left behind), and as the author put it, a love story. Wrapped up in delightfully twisted imagery. Pokes fun at the way academics can almost over-discuss art to the point it starts becoming dehumanizing, while acknowledging that every analyst inherently brings their own biases to the table. You’re forced to be included in that.
Less “overt” horror and more conceptual, based on metaphors. If reality-breaking narratives wig you out then maybe skip it, otherwise I’d highly recommend. I hate to say it’s an “you get it, or you don’t” sort of book, but I believe that is indeed the case. It’s a modern classic for a reason.
Less “overt” horror and more conceptual, based on metaphors. If reality-breaking narratives wig you out then maybe skip it, otherwise I’d highly recommend. I hate to say it’s an “you get it, or you don’t” sort of book, but I believe that is indeed the case. It’s a modern classic for a reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual content, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Pedophilia