House of Leaves (1 Viewer)

[LickTheStar]

Anyone read this? I'm in the middle of my second (more successful) attempt at finishing this behemoth of a novel and... it seems to really hump the line between brilliant and pretentious.

If you haven't read it... the basic story is that the character Johnny Truant finds a book written by a blind old man. The book concerns a non-existent documentary about a house shot by the homeowner named Navidson. Supernatural things start happening in the house (the first being that the inside of the house measures larger than the outside of the house)

The main story is told in the "book" found by Truant who then tells his own story through footnotes (set in a different font).

I like the main story, but there are digressions that sometimes go on for 10-20 pages so that by the time I finish reading a footnote within a footnote within a footnote, I have to flip back and try to remember where the actual story was going.

Still, the dual storylines between the book itself and the person who finds said book... I'm compelled. I tried reading it about 3 years ago but was actually too freaked out by a couple of scenes to finish the book.

Typography is also interesting, especially as the book goes on. Eventually there is one sentence to a page, some instances where there is only a word or two... Seems very schizophrenic at times...

Anyone else here familiar with the book?

 

[chronic]

https://bukowskiforum.com/showthread.php?t=445

I have this book but have never gotten around to actually reading it. Maybe someday, but the kinky typography is a little bit annoying (for me anyway). I think it's what they refer to as pomo around these parts.

 

[LickTheStar]

Ah.

And yes it does seem weird for the sake of weird. Yet I can't help but find it compelling.

The typography... I skipped most of it. A lot of the really weird stuff in the 120-140 page ranges is pretty much just... names in a really, really long footnote.

I think it adds well to the story of the old man who wrote the book being... well nuts, but... I skipped it all. I don't feel like I need to read a bunch of random names that don't have anything to do with the story.

Thanks for the link... I really need to utilize that damn search function more.

 

[CRBSMILE]

I read this years ago. I took me 2 tries. I was probably about half way through it when I laid it aside. Then a month or so later I broke my ankle. I didn't feel like getting out of bed to look for something, and House..was on the floor close enough to reach. I picked up where I left off(there was NO way I was going to start it over!) I finished it and ended up liking it. The story would have been pretty good even if he had written it as a 'regular' novel. The best thing I can say about it is, that it was the best written discription of darkness/blackness that I've ever read. They could never accuratly make a film out of this book because there would be no way to convey the dark as the 'entity' that it is in the book.
I would never have the paitence to read it now, and looking at his new one a few months ago, I just got dizzy. CRB:)

 

[Hosh]

Odd--I'm in the midst of this book & having a tough go at it. Some parts are compelling, & they fly by...others, not so much. I felt exactly as CRB said--it seems it could work better (for me) as a more traditional novel.

I guess this is what the kids are calling "metafiction" these days...& I can't say I'm sold on it all just yet. An interesting book--even just to thumb through next time you're at a book store.

 

[justine]

i haven't read this, but 'the raw shark texts' is a really excellent example of a great, well-paced story, using typography in an unusual (and USEFUL) fashion. i'm not really down with experimental-for-the-sake-of-being-experimental, but this book really pulls it off.