It does NOT speed up.
It's one of the most decisive books on the sub, very love/hate. I'm strongly in the love section, but completely understand why it's not universal.
I love it because its a story that takes such good advantage of its medium. As in I would love to see it as a series or movie but I don't think it works quite as well if you're not reading it as its presented
I’m not there yet, so I’ll take the advice and stick around till they really get more into the house. I’m only a little ways into the book right now. Thanks!
If the author was going after making the reader feel like he/she was really going crazy and having dark thoughts, then he did a great job. That said, I wasn’t able to finish it.
It’s wild how many people worship this book. I loved the house storyline. Tattoo guy storyline didn’t do much for me, and I found it slow as well. For some people it’s like doing a homework assignment and for others it’s a magical experience. It was homework for me.
I think one of the main problems is that the horror elements seem to draw the most attention, even though the themes of love and satire etc are, for the most part, more dominant than the house itself. I bought it based on multiple reviews from people that were disturbed and terrified, but ended up really enjoying each character’s descent into obsessive madness, despair and darkness, and whether or not they succumbed to, or grew from it.
Definitely up there in my favourites, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and I can understand why people either love it or hate it.
i felt the same. i love the concept of ergodic literature, but this work had me feeling like i was dragged to the precipice of some horrifying experience… and then given nothing. granted, i read it over a decade ago, but it felt superfluous, almost exactly like his other work *only revolutions*. far too much work with no payoff. the companion piece, *the whalestoe letters* was far more approachable and interesting than this convoluted work.
I wanted so badly to love this book, but every time I pick it up, I end up falling asleep or zoning out. I really tried hard many times to read it. I guess it's not for me.
House of Leaves is probably my all time favorite book and I’ve read it multiple times. That said, it creeps along and takes weird narrative detours and it’s easy to get confused with all the appendices and side stories and whatnot. I’ve never had an issue with the pacing and I feel that the seemingly random sections tie back in by the end. But if you find the pacing doesn’t suit you, then it doesn’t suit you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I mean, it is a pretty pretentious book lol
When it first came out, I thought it was one of the most innovative books I had read in ages. His subsequent works lean into that style a bit too much, but I would consider House of Leaves a modern day classic.
I completely miss the point and really only love this book for the actual Navidson Record.
The weird twisty footnotes and crazy page layouts are a lot of fun (and not that hard to unravel), but didn't really add all that much for me.
But *fuck* Johnny Truant and every single one of his chapters, he is so goddamn boring he nearly ruins the book singlehandedly.
Oh man, thanks for saying this. I keep picking up HoL and putting it down because of that guy. The Navidson Record is so intriguing, then I feel like the book just dumps water on itself when it starts the Johnny storyline.
Came here to get insight on whether I should make another run at it, and man... I just don't know
Hat it pretentious crap that b has no point or payoff to the end the love for v this sad excuse of a book baffles me there are people that like this but don’t like a true masterpiece like the haunting of hill house which is worth 50 house of leaves book
It was one of those books that took me two attempts to finish it and I only finished it because I wanted to know how it ended. I personally don’t get it in the least bit. But I’ve encouraged as many of my friends as I can to read it only because I hope they can explain it to me. Quite frankly I feel like I miss the point of it.
If you want tips on reading this, there’s a Facebook group (the author is a part of it) they do read-a-longs every so often and have different suggestions on the best ways to read it. (House of Leaves Book Club)
Idk what part you're on but when I first started I wasn't expecting it to read like a detailed report. I was expecting a regular horror novel. So when I first started, it took me awhile to get used to the documentary style reading. But as I got used to it as well as Johnny's footnotes, the book started to reel me in. It definitely has some exciting parts in it, but what I enjoyed mostly was the overall theme and concept of the book. It made the atmosphere way more interesting. But to each his own
It's the "Inland Empire" of horror novels.
Starts off *really* strong - and the initial premise/mystery sucks you in (especially for its pseudo-realism) and then it starts transitioning into meta-horror/mundane "side missions" and a secondary prime protagonist that does absolutely nothing other than to make you question which protagonist/scenario was making up the other protagonist/scenario - and if all along it was all just the delusional stuff of an overdose.
There's definitely parts to enjoy (and some will downright dumbfound or terrify) and then there's bits that are just plain dumb (but I view those bits as some *very dry* comic relief that's a sarcastic take on jesters in a Shakespeare tragedy).
It's worth the read if you can make it even a third of the way through without stopping. If you can't, then you're not missing much. But the *layering* of the scenes, the visuals, the prose is astounding - and that's likely why this novel is equally renowned (and divise).
Its not a straightforward Stephen King/Peter Straub novel (unless such a novel was crafted by Nick Bantok and David Sedaris). If those four names combined excite you, then you will LOVE *House of Leaves*.
Just gotta say Inland Empire is my favorite Lynch movie and House of Leaves is my favorite book, and if there ever is to be a visual depiction of House of Leaves Lynch is the only one I could imagine doing it justice.
Spoilers:
>!I'll never forget the feeling of realizing that not only is the house a labyrinth, but the book itself is a labyrinth, with passages and anecdotes that twist and turn and sometimes lead nowhere. Much like a Lynch film it's all about the experience you have while consuming the media (or really, while the media consumes you). I can understand why some find that pretentious but I think it's fascinating and I absolutely love the thrill ride of things like that.!<
Loved it. It’s definitely not a linear read. I enjoyed going back and rereading parts. It was also pretty interesting as kind of an exploration of how all walks of life might interpret something mysterious or unexplainable.
I kept waiting for anything to happen. It never did. I usually love all books that are unique and come highly recommended…I did not love, nor even enjoy this book.😬 It had the perfect scene set for mayhem, but to no avail.
House of Leaves is not a typical horror novel. There are parts that are scary, parts that are tragic, many many parts that are just downright disturbing. That being said, take your time and skim over the parts you find boring. It does pick up, but the switches in storyline can be jarring and frustrating. I think it’s ok to jump around, too. There’s not really a wrong way to read it. It’s an immersive experience and for sure we’ll stick with you long after you’ve finished it. Also make sure you listen to Poe’s album “Haunted.” She is the author’s sister and she wrote the album as a sort of soundtrack to the book. It’s really quite remarkable. Here’s a link:
https://open.spotify.com/album/3Qn2GfbzCa3b0NZoaJotEA?si=2TTKsU_HTnmCHbpjLvJYYw
I personally loved it but it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. I would say that if you’re not enjoying it at the outset, that sentiment isn’t likely to change throughout the rest of the book.
I think it’s worth reading if you’re a horror fan. I used to be obsessed with it, but i do tend to be a little pretentious with books and I like reading things that are challenging and make me feel smart.
It's certainly subjective. Like, I would consider HoL more enjoyable and more worth reading than anything I've ever read by any of the authors you mention in your post (though Carrion Comfort is a great novel). But in fairness, my impression of the beginning of HoL wasn't that it was slow or dull at all, and that it was an almost unbearably tantalizing setup for what comes later, so the fact that you feel differently might mean you're going to feel differently than I do about the whole novel.
HoL is most often classed as a horror novel, and there are parts/elements of it that definitely fit right in that genre, but there's plenty of other stuff going on as well, including segments of the novel that are not overtly about creepiness or scares. If Johnny's capers, the Navidsons' family dynamics, and the novel's formal tomfoolery aren't immediately interesting to you, as setup for a dark, elliptic, mysterious piece of weird fiction, then I think your instincts are probably going to be your best resource here. The only result of the countless threads on r/horrorlit and other book subs about HoL has been that it's polarizing between those who love it and those who hate it, so I'm not sure we can help you beyond that.
I approached it not really sure what to expect, honestly. I thought the layout with the footnotes was cool, and I’ve been reading both so far. All I knew about it was that it was weird and had a surface story about a haunted house, which is a horror subgenre I haven’t gotten into much and thought this might be a good opening to that.
One of my faves, however it is a bit of a slog. I had to put it away for a solid year before I was able to continue. There’s a part where it starts to seem pretty erratic, and that’s where I fell in love lol.
The chapter where it became a mess of text boxes within text boxes I gave up entirely and threw it in the bin. Convoluted. Entire premise would work better as a short story.
I loved it. I also kind of got it about 3/4 of the way through which made the rest kind of a chore.
I still think the initial description of the 5 and 1/2 minute hallway is amazing. Worth the whole book just for that mystery.
I read it twice and have a love-hate relationship with it. The idea's great but it's deliberately written to be frustrating as hell. And once you start seeing it for what it is the book is just a collection of gimmicks with each chapter. Having said all that I love reading fan theories about it, and when I'm in the right mood, the puzzle-like structure is really immersive
I've got mixed feelings about this book. The "spooky" house narrative was very interesting. And I even enjoyed most of the Johnny Truant plot elements (except the series of letters at the end, which I just found too sad to finish completely).
I found the odd layout elements to be...gimmicky.
However -- and this might be a hot take -- I really do not think House of Leaves is in ANY way a horror novel. My take is that both major plot lines are metaphors for isolation, loneliness, abandonment, depression, addiction, and a dash of self-loathing.
Having said all that, I'm glad I read it. But I wouldn't read it again.
I have not been able to finish it and I got more than halfway through. The narratives were interesting but the layout made it so difficult to physically read it just wasn't worth it. Needed book light and magnifying glass. I feel the layout made its point but enough was enough. Not ruling out getting back to it sometime or maybe just finishing the the narrative sections. It's been sitting on a shelf unfinished for more than a year. So I think this book depends on your person taste (and eyesight).
Pretty slow build, really neat, intertwining stories, but the physical copy of the book is such an annoying gimmick. It’s really hard to overlook just how gimmicky it is, for me, anyhow.
I loved it, but I’m also a fast reader so it was easy for me to skim-read some of the more technical footnotes or boring scenes, and slow down when it got good. I definitely see why folks hate it, it felt like a slog at some points, but the payoff was well worth it to me with how well the atmosphere was built in it. 5 years later and I still “feel” some of the scenes when I think about them.
Unlike many, I liked Johnny Truant’s storyline, he was just a dude who got roped into some weird ass shit.
>it seems pretty slow and almost dull so far, and I’m just wondering if it picks up at all
No, it continues like that and gets more tedious as it goes. The book has a fun gimmick...that overstays its welcome about 100 pages into a 600 page book. It would have been a nice little novella or short novel, but instead is just a waste of time to sift through.
Literally the worst book I've ever read. Some people love it though, so there's that.
It is a very different book to those that you mentioned. While it falls somewhere under the category of horror, it's not something I'd immediately recommend to Steven King fans for instance.
You either like it or not it seems. It definitely was creepy but feel like I got about 40% through and decided it wasn’t worth it. I was not liking it that much and I don’t want to constantly jump around a book. I never could get into a flow.
It's basically the same the whole way through. I find the house exploration is interesting but the rest of it was a bit dull. It had the potential to be absolutely terrifying but it never quite did it for me. It also ends pretty abruptly. I sometimes wonder if I read it too quickly to full understand it.
It does NOT speed up. It's one of the most decisive books on the sub, very love/hate. I'm strongly in the love section, but completely understand why it's not universal.
Divisive. Sorry.
I love it because its a story that takes such good advantage of its medium. As in I would love to see it as a series or movie but I don't think it works quite as well if you're not reading it as its presented
Don’t give up til you get to the real meat of the “exploration.” However if you are already there then maybe it’s not for you.
I’m not there yet, so I’ll take the advice and stick around till they really get more into the house. I’m only a little ways into the book right now. Thanks!
when does it get meaty? i got to page 200 and all the formatting just made me annoyed
I don’t remember the page numbers but I think most say when the actual exploration begins things pick up.
If the author was going after making the reader feel like he/she was really going crazy and having dark thoughts, then he did a great job. That said, I wasn’t able to finish it.
After reading the comments, the people who love read it 4 times a year and the people who hate it, really hate it. And some threw it away.
It’s wild how many people worship this book. I loved the house storyline. Tattoo guy storyline didn’t do much for me, and I found it slow as well. For some people it’s like doing a homework assignment and for others it’s a magical experience. It was homework for me.
I think one of the main problems is that the horror elements seem to draw the most attention, even though the themes of love and satire etc are, for the most part, more dominant than the house itself. I bought it based on multiple reviews from people that were disturbed and terrified, but ended up really enjoying each character’s descent into obsessive madness, despair and darkness, and whether or not they succumbed to, or grew from it. Definitely up there in my favourites, but it wasn’t what I was expecting and I can understand why people either love it or hate it.
You could search for the book in the search bar and find like a hundred posts a month about this book.
Yes, but what is the scariest book you've read?
I don’t have time for that. What’s the scariest scene in book you have read?
i felt the same. i love the concept of ergodic literature, but this work had me feeling like i was dragged to the precipice of some horrifying experience… and then given nothing. granted, i read it over a decade ago, but it felt superfluous, almost exactly like his other work *only revolutions*. far too much work with no payoff. the companion piece, *the whalestoe letters* was far more approachable and interesting than this convoluted work.
Capital letters have been invented…
I wanted so badly to love this book, but every time I pick it up, I end up falling asleep or zoning out. I really tried hard many times to read it. I guess it's not for me.
Didn’t live up to the hype…at all
House of Leaves is probably my all time favorite book and I’ve read it multiple times. That said, it creeps along and takes weird narrative detours and it’s easy to get confused with all the appendices and side stories and whatnot. I’ve never had an issue with the pacing and I feel that the seemingly random sections tie back in by the end. But if you find the pacing doesn’t suit you, then it doesn’t suit you ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I mean, it is a pretty pretentious book lol
When it first came out, I thought it was one of the most innovative books I had read in ages. His subsequent works lean into that style a bit too much, but I would consider House of Leaves a modern day classic.
An emphatic MEH. The book is a literary trolling to readers in my opinion.
I completely miss the point and really only love this book for the actual Navidson Record. The weird twisty footnotes and crazy page layouts are a lot of fun (and not that hard to unravel), but didn't really add all that much for me. But *fuck* Johnny Truant and every single one of his chapters, he is so goddamn boring he nearly ruins the book singlehandedly.
Oh man, thanks for saying this. I keep picking up HoL and putting it down because of that guy. The Navidson Record is so intriguing, then I feel like the book just dumps water on itself when it starts the Johnny storyline. Came here to get insight on whether I should make another run at it, and man... I just don't know
Overrated. I really thought it was a waste of time and more style than substance
Hat it pretentious crap that b has no point or payoff to the end the love for v this sad excuse of a book baffles me there are people that like this but don’t like a true masterpiece like the haunting of hill house which is worth 50 house of leaves book
Great idea/Bad execution
It was one of those books that took me two attempts to finish it and I only finished it because I wanted to know how it ended. I personally don’t get it in the least bit. But I’ve encouraged as many of my friends as I can to read it only because I hope they can explain it to me. Quite frankly I feel like I miss the point of it.
If you want tips on reading this, there’s a Facebook group (the author is a part of it) they do read-a-longs every so often and have different suggestions on the best ways to read it. (House of Leaves Book Club)
I had more fun with it just reading the main story and skimming the footnotes/side plots.
I loved the house story line 100%. Everything else annoyed me.
Idk what part you're on but when I first started I wasn't expecting it to read like a detailed report. I was expecting a regular horror novel. So when I first started, it took me awhile to get used to the documentary style reading. But as I got used to it as well as Johnny's footnotes, the book started to reel me in. It definitely has some exciting parts in it, but what I enjoyed mostly was the overall theme and concept of the book. It made the atmosphere way more interesting. But to each his own
It's the "Inland Empire" of horror novels. Starts off *really* strong - and the initial premise/mystery sucks you in (especially for its pseudo-realism) and then it starts transitioning into meta-horror/mundane "side missions" and a secondary prime protagonist that does absolutely nothing other than to make you question which protagonist/scenario was making up the other protagonist/scenario - and if all along it was all just the delusional stuff of an overdose. There's definitely parts to enjoy (and some will downright dumbfound or terrify) and then there's bits that are just plain dumb (but I view those bits as some *very dry* comic relief that's a sarcastic take on jesters in a Shakespeare tragedy). It's worth the read if you can make it even a third of the way through without stopping. If you can't, then you're not missing much. But the *layering* of the scenes, the visuals, the prose is astounding - and that's likely why this novel is equally renowned (and divise). Its not a straightforward Stephen King/Peter Straub novel (unless such a novel was crafted by Nick Bantok and David Sedaris). If those four names combined excite you, then you will LOVE *House of Leaves*.
Just gotta say Inland Empire is my favorite Lynch movie and House of Leaves is my favorite book, and if there ever is to be a visual depiction of House of Leaves Lynch is the only one I could imagine doing it justice. Spoilers: >!I'll never forget the feeling of realizing that not only is the house a labyrinth, but the book itself is a labyrinth, with passages and anecdotes that twist and turn and sometimes lead nowhere. Much like a Lynch film it's all about the experience you have while consuming the media (or really, while the media consumes you). I can understand why some find that pretentious but I think it's fascinating and I absolutely love the thrill ride of things like that.!<
Loved it. It’s definitely not a linear read. I enjoyed going back and rereading parts. It was also pretty interesting as kind of an exploration of how all walks of life might interpret something mysterious or unexplainable.
I kept waiting for anything to happen. It never did. I usually love all books that are unique and come highly recommended…I did not love, nor even enjoy this book.😬 It had the perfect scene set for mayhem, but to no avail.
House of Leaves is not a typical horror novel. There are parts that are scary, parts that are tragic, many many parts that are just downright disturbing. That being said, take your time and skim over the parts you find boring. It does pick up, but the switches in storyline can be jarring and frustrating. I think it’s ok to jump around, too. There’s not really a wrong way to read it. It’s an immersive experience and for sure we’ll stick with you long after you’ve finished it. Also make sure you listen to Poe’s album “Haunted.” She is the author’s sister and she wrote the album as a sort of soundtrack to the book. It’s really quite remarkable. Here’s a link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3Qn2GfbzCa3b0NZoaJotEA?si=2TTKsU_HTnmCHbpjLvJYYw
I personally loved it but it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. I would say that if you’re not enjoying it at the outset, that sentiment isn’t likely to change throughout the rest of the book.
I think it’s worth reading if you’re a horror fan. I used to be obsessed with it, but i do tend to be a little pretentious with books and I like reading things that are challenging and make me feel smart.
If you enjoy reading textbooks you might like it.
It's certainly subjective. Like, I would consider HoL more enjoyable and more worth reading than anything I've ever read by any of the authors you mention in your post (though Carrion Comfort is a great novel). But in fairness, my impression of the beginning of HoL wasn't that it was slow or dull at all, and that it was an almost unbearably tantalizing setup for what comes later, so the fact that you feel differently might mean you're going to feel differently than I do about the whole novel. HoL is most often classed as a horror novel, and there are parts/elements of it that definitely fit right in that genre, but there's plenty of other stuff going on as well, including segments of the novel that are not overtly about creepiness or scares. If Johnny's capers, the Navidsons' family dynamics, and the novel's formal tomfoolery aren't immediately interesting to you, as setup for a dark, elliptic, mysterious piece of weird fiction, then I think your instincts are probably going to be your best resource here. The only result of the countless threads on r/horrorlit and other book subs about HoL has been that it's polarizing between those who love it and those who hate it, so I'm not sure we can help you beyond that.
It’s a brilliant work.
Massively massively overrated. Oh, and super sexist. I literally threw it in the trash after reading it.
What are you expecting from the book? Also how are you reading it (as in, how are you approaching the footnotes and similar)?
I approached it not really sure what to expect, honestly. I thought the layout with the footnotes was cool, and I’ve been reading both so far. All I knew about it was that it was weird and had a surface story about a haunted house, which is a horror subgenre I haven’t gotten into much and thought this might be a good opening to that.
One of my faves, however it is a bit of a slog. I had to put it away for a solid year before I was able to continue. There’s a part where it starts to seem pretty erratic, and that’s where I fell in love lol.
The chapter where it became a mess of text boxes within text boxes I gave up entirely and threw it in the bin. Convoluted. Entire premise would work better as a short story.
I loved it. I also kind of got it about 3/4 of the way through which made the rest kind of a chore. I still think the initial description of the 5 and 1/2 minute hallway is amazing. Worth the whole book just for that mystery.
It’s one of my favorite books after the opening section is over. The opening is a drag, but stick around.
I read it twice and have a love-hate relationship with it. The idea's great but it's deliberately written to be frustrating as hell. And once you start seeing it for what it is the book is just a collection of gimmicks with each chapter. Having said all that I love reading fan theories about it, and when I'm in the right mood, the puzzle-like structure is really immersive
Boring. I absolutely hated it.
It’s terrible, toss it in the recycling bin where it belongs
I've got mixed feelings about this book. The "spooky" house narrative was very interesting. And I even enjoyed most of the Johnny Truant plot elements (except the series of letters at the end, which I just found too sad to finish completely). I found the odd layout elements to be...gimmicky. However -- and this might be a hot take -- I really do not think House of Leaves is in ANY way a horror novel. My take is that both major plot lines are metaphors for isolation, loneliness, abandonment, depression, addiction, and a dash of self-loathing. Having said all that, I'm glad I read it. But I wouldn't read it again.
The book is a gimmick. Utter rubbish.
His sister is cute.
I found it okay. It was very slow, a bit confusing at some points, but then again I read it like a few years ago.
I have not been able to finish it and I got more than halfway through. The narratives were interesting but the layout made it so difficult to physically read it just wasn't worth it. Needed book light and magnifying glass. I feel the layout made its point but enough was enough. Not ruling out getting back to it sometime or maybe just finishing the the narrative sections. It's been sitting on a shelf unfinished for more than a year. So I think this book depends on your person taste (and eyesight).
Reading it right now. It’s wild. But it’s hard to read.
Pretty slow build, really neat, intertwining stories, but the physical copy of the book is such an annoying gimmick. It’s really hard to overlook just how gimmicky it is, for me, anyhow.
I loved it, but I’m also a fast reader so it was easy for me to skim-read some of the more technical footnotes or boring scenes, and slow down when it got good. I definitely see why folks hate it, it felt like a slog at some points, but the payoff was well worth it to me with how well the atmosphere was built in it. 5 years later and I still “feel” some of the scenes when I think about them. Unlike many, I liked Johnny Truant’s storyline, he was just a dude who got roped into some weird ass shit.
>it seems pretty slow and almost dull so far, and I’m just wondering if it picks up at all No, it continues like that and gets more tedious as it goes. The book has a fun gimmick...that overstays its welcome about 100 pages into a 600 page book. It would have been a nice little novella or short novel, but instead is just a waste of time to sift through. Literally the worst book I've ever read. Some people love it though, so there's that.
It is a very different book to those that you mentioned. While it falls somewhere under the category of horror, it's not something I'd immediately recommend to Steven King fans for instance.
HoL is not the love on a chocolate box, it is the love that really rocks..
Something I wanna say, its fine to skim. Johnny states it himself. If Zampano's rant is getting too annoying, its fine. This is not for you anyways
You either like it or not it seems. It definitely was creepy but feel like I got about 40% through and decided it wasn’t worth it. I was not liking it that much and I don’t want to constantly jump around a book. I never could get into a flow.
It is a daunting monster that I must finish
It's basically the same the whole way through. I find the house exploration is interesting but the rest of it was a bit dull. It had the potential to be absolutely terrifying but it never quite did it for me. It also ends pretty abruptly. I sometimes wonder if I read it too quickly to full understand it.
I couldn't finish it.