H O U S E of Leaves
Written: Aug 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Will Navidson and his family. The House. The interesting format
Cons: too long. Where was the editor?
The Bottom Line: I think I'll recommend it just on pure novelty
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| acinom's Full Review: Mark Z. Danielewski and Zampano - House of Leaves |
I finished House of Leaves a week ago and am now well into John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick in which, at one point, Sukie and Alexandra sigh about their friend Jane (played by Susan Sarandon in the movie of the same name), "She has such beautiful possibilities, but she wastes herself utterly."
I think that applies well to House of Leaves, a twisted, convoluted body of ingenious work that is the debut of Mark Danielewski, brother to singer/songwriter Poe. Colossal (707 pages if you include the appendixes), dense, with layers like a Russian doll, it nevertheless manages to come out in the end as light and insubstantial as a leaf.
The story is a story within a story within a story. Johnny Truant, a tattoo-artist working for peanuts in some vague town, is lead to the body of a blind, old man named Zampano by his friend Lude. The man died apparently from old age, but in curious circumstances. Without relations and surrounded by worthless possessions, all that he leaves is a box of his writings. Johnny takes it upon himself to edit and organize Zampano's writings, a huge non-fiction called "House of Leaves" which analyzes a non-existent documentary made by Pulitzer-prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson:
The Navidson Record
A documentary which explores the dark and murderous, literally life-sucking interiors of a house that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
Well, it doesn't matter how the plot goes. Johnny's footnotes that detail his own life become frustratingly tedious after a while. Same goes for Zampano's pseudo-intellectual, Heidegger-quoting analysis of the documentary.
The real meat of the book is the house, an ingenious creation from Danielewski. An insane monstrosity like the labyrinth from the Minotaur, as the book itself will point out to you, at first only the walls expand. However, a secret corridor soon appears where there had only been a closet before. It changes its shape randomly, leading down spiral staircases taller than mountains, and opening out into huge rooms.
The house is a useful devise that melds an exciting exploration story, a suspenseful psychological thriller, and a bitter-sweet family drama. It is a great metaphor for the human psyche.
Danielewski uses format to engage the reader in the house's strangeness. For example, every time the word "house" is mentioned, it is in blue ink. Every time the house shifts shape, the words on the page go through a hyper-e.e.cummings ordeal where they jump
all
over the place
like
this.
It gets annoying sometimes, and sometimes Danielewski really rubs it in--at one point, the characters actually discover a document from 17th century explorers exclaiming: "For weekf now we've had no food and shelter. But today, we found ftairs! Ftairs!" (the 'f's substituting 's's like those quirky historical documents would). But for all its silliness, House of Leaves is still one of the most interesting books out there.
The downfall of House of Leaves is the story. Try as Danielewski might, the story doesn't stick. Johnny's stories are trite. Zampano's story vanishes altogether after a while. Navidson's story is the most interesting, but Danielewski doesn't do it justice. While the explorations into the house were fascinating, he never built up enough terror and fear or probed his characters' minds enough to keep the reader interested. For example, Navidson begins to believe that the house is God, but Danielewski never lets up why.
Anyway, this is a great effort from a first-time author. The book seems long, but could be skimmed with ease and without missing any major movements. There are humorous sections, such as one where Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stanley Kubrick, Hunter Thompson, & co. weigh in on The Navidson Record. Danielewski does admirable mimicks of each of them.
Not the best book in the world, or the most enlightening. House of Leaves builds itself up with a dense plot structure, an fascinating central idea, but falls under its own insubstantial weight like a house of cards. But it's such a fun book to read, I'll recommend it anyway.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
acinom
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Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
I've quit smoking. But Epinions...well, this addiction is somethin else. Goddammit, I'M BACK!
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