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halloween_writes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death of parent
kyrsten042's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Moderate: Death and Gun violence
Minor: Drug abuse and Forced institutionalization
aspenrayne's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer and Eating disorder
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.
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.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
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: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Vomit, Medical content, and Car accident
transdankovsky'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual violence, and Grief
abandonedmegastructure's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Death of parent
cuppachaii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you like books that get you obsessed, scouring forums, and uncovering secrets: read this. I cannot suggest it highly enough. It's impossible to describe the plot in less than a paragraph, which is the point. This is the kind of book you want to discuss with other fans as you make a spiderweb of twine on a corkboard. If you like subtle horror and interesting writing, read this. Do not miss this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
lookleft's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
itsbumley'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail