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A review by huerca_armada
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
4.0
Years ago, when I first read Danielewski's debut novel House of Leaves, its fair to say that I didn't have a good appraisal of it. The complicated and digressive footnotes, the nested nature of the narratives present in the book, and the themes (real, imagined, and/or conjured) that have given the book a cult following since its publication two decades prior, went right over my smooth sophomoric brain. The biggest draw for me when reading it was the spOoOoOky HoOoOouse because, when you're fifteen, spooky houses are a bigger draw than whatever metatextual references exist around it.
Returning to House of Leaves after so long, then, and with fresh eyes has certainly improved my view of the book. While the central narrative of the Navidson Record remains strong, I find myself much more interested in the frame narratives of Zampano and Johnny as compared to my first read through. Not only that, but certain symbolisms, self-references, and threads I began to pick up on, so much so that at a few points I had to quell my curiosity and not go backwards and forwards to find linkages between them. Props to Danielewski for that -- that maze-like structure which permeated the narrative and textual layout of his book artfully infects other facets as well. Those interested in a critical read would have much to work with here if they wanted to merely tie together a lot of these threads.
I've recommended this book to friends of mine before, and out of the five that have read it, all have enjoyed their time with it. We've all had different levels of engagement with the text, and you can (in my opinion) read the narratives however you'd like to for the sake of your own enjoyment. Don't care for Johnny's story, and want to just read the Navidson Record? That's fine -- you'll miss out on some stuff, but it'll be there waiting for you if you choose to return. Don't really care for the Navidson Record but enjoy disentangling whatever is happening with Zampano? You can do that as well. There's no really correct way to engage with the text at all, as indicated by an interlude that comes late in its chapter count. What you get out of it is, ultimately, of your own making.
Returning to House of Leaves after so long, then, and with fresh eyes has certainly improved my view of the book. While the central narrative of the Navidson Record remains strong, I find myself much more interested in the frame narratives of Zampano and Johnny as compared to my first read through. Not only that, but certain symbolisms, self-references, and threads I began to pick up on, so much so that at a few points I had to quell my curiosity and not go backwards and forwards to find linkages between them. Props to Danielewski for that -- that maze-like structure which permeated the narrative and textual layout of his book artfully infects other facets as well. Those interested in a critical read would have much to work with here if they wanted to merely tie together a lot of these threads.
I've recommended this book to friends of mine before, and out of the five that have read it, all have enjoyed their time with it. We've all had different levels of engagement with the text, and you can (in my opinion) read the narratives however you'd like to for the sake of your own enjoyment. Don't care for Johnny's story, and want to just read the Navidson Record? That's fine -- you'll miss out on some stuff, but it'll be there waiting for you if you choose to return. Don't really care for the Navidson Record but enjoy disentangling whatever is happening with Zampano? You can do that as well. There's no really correct way to engage with the text at all, as indicated by an interlude that comes late in its chapter count. What you get out of it is, ultimately, of your own making.