House of Leaves

Critics

• A haunting house

  House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski Doubleday £13, pp729 Buy it at BOL There is a visual hallucination born of situations of extremity. It lurks just on the edge of vision. It has been described by exhausted mountaineers, soldiers and ultra-distance ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

• Gothic scholar

  House of Leaves Mark Z Danielewski Anchor, £13, 709pp Buy it at BOL Borges once explained in an interview that he often had ideas for esoteric books, which, however, he could not bring himself to write. Instead, he would pretend the books already exi ... (read full critics)

  guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

13 Reviews

• 4 people find this helpful

  

  Editions

  There are actually several separate editions of this book. First, there was an edition without any colored words or Braille plates; this was a first edition. Then, there were two editions, both without Braille (raised) plates, the first with the word house throughout the book colored blue, and the ... (continue)

  There are actually several separate editions of this book. First, there was an edition without any colored words or Braille plates; this was a first edition. Then, there were two editions, both without Braille (raised) plates, the first with the word house throughout the book colored blue, and the second with "house" the standard black, but with the word "minotaur" and all struck passages colored red.

  Recently there has been a "special" edition released, with Braille plates, full-color illustrations in the back, and both the blue "house" and red "minotaur"/struck passages. This new copy is what you'll probably find if you look at Barnes and Noble today.

  (Mine is 2nd ed, house in blue, minotaur & struck passages normal black, no Braille plates.)

  Is this helpful?

  Savedr said on May 4, 2007 about the Softcover edition | Add your feedback

• 2 people find this helpful

  

  Really interesting non-traditional kind of book. Bizarre and a bit creepy, but very enjoyable.

  Is this helpful?

  guaddess said on May 25, 2007 about the Softcover edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  Amazingly original and at times, very scary and unnerving. Interestingly, often in very unconventional ways. Four pages of names in a footnote? That made me feel deeply disturbed! :)

  Is this helpful?

  Max said on Aug 3, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  This book will creep you out

  One of the most unusual books I have read. Scarily good.

  Is this helpful?

  jacoutofthebox said on May 23, 2012 about the Softcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  The monster that may be or may not be there.

  Is this helpful?

  Andy said on Apr 1, 2012 about the Softcover edition | Add your feedback

• 

  My Review of "House of Leaves"

  “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski is jarringly unconventional and instills a deep sense of dread within its readers. Through the use of elaborate text arrangement, numerous footnotes, (some referencing non-existent books), and multiple narrators - Danielewski creates a dark and disorientating ... (continue)

  “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski is jarringly unconventional and instills a deep sense of dread within its readers. Through the use of elaborate text arrangement, numerous footnotes, (some referencing non-existent books), and multiple narrators - Danielewski creates a dark and disorientating tale.

  House of Leaves begins with the first-person narration of Johnny Truant. Johnny is a troubled tattoo parlor employee who stumbles upon a manuscript written by a blind, elderly man named Zampano.
  This turns out to be a written account of a fictional,documentary film called The Navidson Record. Johnny begins to read Zampano’s notes and becomes drawn into the maddening tale.

  The manuscript describes the Navidson family as they move into a mysterious home in Virginia whose interior exceeds its exterior. This oddity is quickly overshadowed by the sudden appearance of a closet in the family’s living room. A closet that inexplicable expands into tunnels and caverns of utter darkness. This paradox draws members of the Navidson family and others in. Dementia and death shortly follow.

  Johnny Truant’s own grip on reality falters as his obsession in completing Zampano’s work takes over his life. The darkness and fear haunting the Navidson’s family soon materializes in his own life as a beast of shadow stalks him. But is this an actual monster? Or is it a figment of Truant’s own mind? As the credibility of Johnny’s narration erodes through the story – what can the reader consider real?

  Danielewski uses the myth of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. Is this done to allude to those beings lost within the Navidson home’s inky depths? Is it an allusion to Johnny Truant being lost to the darkness within his own mind? Or is the reader the misshapen creature trapped within the maze of Danielewski’s words? Read the House of Leaves and decide for yourself.

  Is this helpful?

  Jason Zapata said on Nov 6, 2010 about the Softcover edition | Add your feedback

See all 13 comments

Book Details

• Rating:
  (107)
  • 5 stars
  • 4 stars
  • 3 stars
  • 2 stars
  • 1 star
• English Books
• Others 709 Pages
• ISBN-10: 1417709049
• ISBN-13: 9781417709045
• Publisher: Turtleback Books
• Pub date: Mar 01, 2000
• Also available as: Paperback, Hardcover and Softcover
• In other languages: other languages Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libri Italiani

Improve data of this book

Groups with this in collection

• Booktalk.org Members (8)
• NY Times Notable Book Club (481)

Prices Change currency & sellers

ISBN	Edition	List	Sale	Seller
9781417709045	Others	$33.00	$29.51	The Book Depository
Other editions →
+ 4 copies tradable: →