Synopses & Reviews
THE MIND-BENDING CULT CLASSIC ABOUT A HOUSE THAT’S LARGER ON THE INSIDE THAN ON THE OUTSIDE
A masterpiece of horror and an astonishingly immersive, maze-like reading experience that redefines the boundaries of a novel.
Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.
Now made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices, the story remains unchanged. Similarly, the cultural fascination with House of Leaves remains as fervent and as imaginative as ever. The novel has gone on to inspire doctorate-level courses and masters theses, cultural phenomena like the online urban legend of “the backrooms,” and incredible works of art in entirely unrealted mediums from music to video games.
Neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of the impossibility of their new home, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story—of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.
Review
"Danielewski's eccentric and sometimes brilliant debut novel is really two novels....One the horror story is a tour-de-force....[T]he novel is a surreal palimpsest of terror and erudition, surely destined for cult status." – Publishers Weekly
"This stunning first effort is destined for fast-track cult status....This work is a kaleidoscopically layered and deconstructed H. P. Lovecraft-style horror story. It hums and resonates with wonder, dread, and insight." – Eric Robbins, Booklist
"Danielewski employs avant-garde page layouts that are occasionally a bit too clever but are generally highly effective....It is simultaneously a highly literary work and an absolute hoot....[P]owerful and extremely original..." – Library Journal
About the Author
Mark Z. Danielewski was born in 1966. House of Leaves is his first novel.