A review by drjoeby
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a really tough book to read. Straight up quit reading it, picked it back up, and had to hold myself hostage on a plane ride to see it through. The last ~100 pages are an appendix that largely serves minor plot function so it's not as long a read as it feels like, but it feeling like a long read is kind of the point. It's wordy, full of run-ons, overtly sexual in uncomfortable ways, and the horror feels spread out between a lot of soap opera style drama. I don't necessarily understand it as a "modern horror classic" but it's an interesting book stylistically.
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