Oh. My. Gosh. This novel has been my albatross. I came across this book many years ago, borrowed from a friend. I tried to read it, but stalled out. I had my mother buy it for me for Christmas a few years ago and still was never able to conquer it. Yesterday, I was victorious.
This is the most mesmerizing, confusing, terrifying, frustrating, wonderful novel that I have ever read. It is a literal and figurative labyrinth and the fact that a human brain could even piece it all together as literature is literally the definition of the word awesome and I want to give Danielewski a standing ovation. I am in awe. I do have a bone to pick with a review on the back: though there might have been occasional bits of humor, hilarious it is not. Terrifying it is.
This novel is a book about a book in a book. Yup. But it’s all made up. Or is it? A family discovers there home has amazing properties and explore the unexplainable corridors and awful things happen. At the same time, the author IN the book, Johnny, tries to piece together the writings of Zampano (the author of the ORIGINAL text) and make sense. And awful things start happening to him too Johnny also. The footnotes have footnotes. Some pages are blank. Others are backwards. It is truly an exercise in patience.
It’s hard to explain but House of Leaves really must be experienced. It will change your understanding of literature as it stretches the bounds of itself, and you. Just read it, and you can thank me. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
This sits on my shelf, month after month, daring me to open it. But I’ve been afraid to take It on. I promise to read it for CBR VII.