As someone who sat through English classes where professors tried being funny during Macbeth… yes, but remember children hate learning and will self sabotage to look cool among peers
I wish that teachers would find out what really interests their kids and get them reading about those things at a young age. That way they will already be in that place of being excited to read.
I think you're right in the sense that a lot of people praise the book because there is this sense of "I'm so smart because I *got* it, I enjoyed it", being part of this in-group, but on the other hand, I think for me personally, I loved this story about people who create so *so* many issues for themselves and others, and they convince themselves it's because of this House, outside forces, when in reality it's because of their own flaws, and they refuse to acknowledge it. And that goes for us, the reader, too, because we *want* the House to be something more, like the characters inside.
@@ProjektTaku "pretentious" is such an annoying buzz word criticism. is everything that sincerely strives for excellence pretentious? is every person that truly enjoys intellectually analyzing and praising a thing pretentious? it's an overused word often representative of empty criticism. people can love things and rave about how they think it's a deep and intelligent work of art without trying to be anything they aren't. there usually are many reasons why critically acclaimed things are popular! and many people who use this word just use it to describe people who conform to a specific artistic consensus.
@@treeigh not really. Pretentious is just getting cocky cause you read or watched something and think your better cause you did. Its a very simple but effective criticism. Pretentious people are people who talk about "cinema" and "cinematic palette" and think their so smart cause they read something that's "unique" and "different" and "underrated", even if they didn't get it.
@@ProjektTaku Calling something or someone pretentious doesn't really add anything to the conversation though. It's like calling something "cringe". If you disagree with someone's interpretation of a work or you disagree with the message of a work, just say that.
I think people are just intrigued whether the house was really occupied by leaves or a family with Leaves as their family name. Then they get something else. Honestly, I don't know. I have a copy but haven't read it yet.
@@jus_sanguinis Both have their audience, and some of us like both. It's like a restaurant menu: If you offer your signature dish and several other, there's a good chance that you end up selling more than with just your perfectly balanced dish. Thing is that the customers that like your place will not be restricted to go only they want your signature dish, and can invite others that don't even like such recipe to go there, and still have an enjoyable experience.
Honestly I don't think I've ever experienced true horror from media. I mostly just consume horror media for creepy atmosphere and cool visual effects, which is fine.
@@h4724-q6j i think ONE of the only true terror moments i've ever experienced from media has been from a lower budget film than the ones people typically talk about. and by terror i mean, excluding real-life type of horror that things like my favorites (hill house, bly manor) do. the movie As Above So Below. i was already a stickler and a horror snob by the time i saw that and watched it both for premise and title, wasn't expecting much based on the found-footage-seeming aspect, but it scared the living shit out of me. it made me feel as unsafe and shocked as the characters did, while also providing me with fulfillment in similar areas of education that the characters loved lol. i'm not easily scared and almost wish i was, but that movie genuinely made me feel terror lol. i think in a similar way that house of leaves can make the reader feel. Lost. going in circles but still going too far in that it doesn't feel to have a way back around. etc. i think it's a fun scary watch
i went into it without horror expectations and more just wanting to know what the fuck this zampano guy is writing about, how does this house work? I think in doing that I got a better experience of the book, I definitely don't understand everything that is meant to have been conveyed but I enjoyed the use of metanarratives. It was entertaining that zampano could just make shit up like quotes from celebrities in some strange world which is built on made up sources but interacts with itself to be something more than it is, that is if truant didn't imagine everything of zampanos
I read this book quite a few years ago, and it has really stuck with me. I’m not usually someone with irrational emotional ties to books to the point I reject any criticism, but this book helped me through some very tough times emotionally at a point where I had enough free time to read it in a week. I’ve wanted to reread it for years, but the thought that it may not live up to my own expectations have kept me from ever committing to reading more than the first three chapters.
I did read it again years later, and it definitely held up. One of those 'every time you find something new' stories, since there's enough characters that you can always find someone else to relate to.
@@danielgehring7437 I dunno, I never really liked the many characters in it, as I felt there wasn't enough time to develop them all equally. The book should've been longer to develop them more. But I did like how distinct and unique they all were.
@@ProjektTaku Well, hence my recommendation to read it again. I don't think it being any longer would have helped... it's already a massive undertaking... but giving it a round 2 can definitely help flesh out each character, especially with the appendices.
@@danielgehring7437 lol guess so. To me it seemed pretty short, although that might just be from reading a over 20 year old manga with over 1000 chapters/100 volumes which is still ongoing. A round 2 could probably help.
Comparing the "backrooms" to the House was way more accurate than I expected. As weird as it sounds this was the first book I read when I got back into reading in my 20s, I totally didn't "get" a lot of it but I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's definitely not for everybody but at the same time I'm saddened when people just dismiss it as pretentious and/or being quirky for quirkiness' sake. I think the whacky design choices were partially "the point," but I also think the author put effort into making each of them work; they weren't just lazily slapped together to cover the books deficiencies, even though it does have definiencies.
I couldn't put this book down when I read it a few months ago. I found it really engaging, it really pulled me through. I really got a lot out of it, but I also entirely understand that it's not really for everyone.
I asked for this book as a birthday gift about a decade ago after going on various forums looking for dread-inducing, creepy atmospheric horror novel recommendations. I must have tried getting through it about 5 times by now and the furthest I have ever got was about half-way. It actually annoyed me so much that I couldn't get through the back and forth commitment that this novel requires of the reader that it stopped me from reading anything entirely for several years. It's been on my bedside table constantly as a reminder that I still need to revisit and finish it. I don't know if it is a pretentiousness, that you mentioned, how some of the characters come off as or, as you stated, the gimmicky nature of the book or something entirely different. I want to finish it, but I get tired thinking about finishing it before I even open up the book again. I have mentioned this book to so many people and flicked through the pages to show them how weird it gets with the experimental use of words (or lack of any) on certain pages, but have never recommended it despite it having one or two pretty effective horror moments, that have already been explored many times since in other mediums such as film. I know that liminal space horror has had a recent surge in popularity with "The Back Rooms" found footage memes that have come back into fashion recently and it's been boosted by a lot of creative collectives and individuals such as Kane Pixels (who you have featured in this video) and upcoming projects such as Skinamarink by Bightsized Nightmares. I find that stuff pretty cool and unsettling, but I worry now that when I do eventually finish this book that I will have already seen what it has to offer elsewhere. I hope it is worth it.
A lot of the gimmicky sections are just to create a certain mood or make the reader disoriented. You can skip over some sections once you see what is meaningless text for effect.
I really don‘t don't think it is worth it. P.T. Captured what this book was going for with a single hallway, without all the terible dialogue and tedium. Tedium I would be all for if it was in the hands of a great writer Read Anne Rice‘s Lives of the Mayfair Witches series if you want great horror in novel form.
While I agree with most of this video, I still intensely loved the whole experience of going through HoL. The late nights skimming through footnotes and highlighting seemingly important stuff felt like being back at university, doing obscure research. I would often skip the more frustrating sections, which honestly did feel intentional, like rummaging through a bunch of unorganized sources in search for proof. Among all of this, the „aha!” moments felt super rewarding to me. And you’re right, reading about it online felt like a huge bonus. I spent a good few weeks looking through forums, and even got into the HoL-inspired album written by Danielewski’s sister. All in all, despite its numerous flaws, it’s one of my favorite books. And I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. 😅
it may be that your skits are so short and reliably funny, but i love to click on your videos. when it's something even more engaging, I pause and i thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't read enough but I began buying books again but only from the specific authors (and manga creators), because I just don't like reading. But these kinds of videos light a kind of fire under my ass no other videos on youtube can ever achieve.
I think part of the reason people love it is that in an age of ebooks and audiobooks, this is one story that absolutely has to be read in an old-fashioned physical book, and it's designed to make the most of that format. Similarly, you could try reading 'S' by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst, another book that celebrates the physicality of books, only without the horror element this time.
I enjoyed looking like a crazy person turning this book this way and that while reading it at a café. I did get through it in the end, but only because I was invested in the spooky house story.
I adore this book and have read it like five times, but I agree with a lot of the frustrations you listed here. In particular, I think about the scene early on where Johnny goes on a drive with Kyrie, which includes one of my favorite lines in any sex scene ever: "the longest unzipping of my life". But I heard that line first in the remix of "Hey Pretty" by the author's sister Poe, over which he reads an abridged version of this scene and breaks from the chorus right after this line. All of which helps it land way more strongly than it does in the book, where it's just one phrase in the middle of a giant, rambling Johnny sentence. Still love the book though, and also Poe deserves way more love because her music absolutely slaps.
HOL is one of my 2 favorite books of all-time. I think you hit the nail on the head, 'you get out, what you put into it' which is why it has such a strong affect on some people. The other book i had a similar feeling with was 100 years of solitude.
Yeah, I understand that if you're expecting too much from a novel - or any piece of art, for that matter - because of the hype surrounding it, the intellectual material itself can be quite disenchanting. However: I've read and bought House of Leaves three times now, after bumping into it as a twentysomething, in a book store during the early 2000s. It is a magnificent yarn, but faces the same problem as Infinite Jest: the volume is intimidating at first, but once you get stuck in the various narratives, it's hard to find your way out; to explain it to other people can prove to be a futile undertaking - unless they're ready to dive in head first.
That’s funny, this video brought to mind Infinite Jest and I wondered if that would be a more worthwhile endeavor (since they are both classified as ‘endeavors’in my head to me, similar level of hype, similar level of commitment). Of the two, which did you enjoy reading more, if you don’t mind me asking?
@@hinnakoto Both storywise and stylistically, David Foster Wallace is simply the better author; whereas I can understand some people consider House of Leaves' unusual format not much more than a fascinating gimmick, the same cannot be said of Infinite Jest.
House of Leaves is a very cool idea for a book. I think at its core the book is about about the relationship between people and art. Zampano obsessed over House of Leaves much how Navidson obsessed over his documentary and photography. Johnny's fascination with House of Leaves turned to an obsession as his own mental health spiralled out of control. We use art to understand more about ourselves whether as a creator or an observer. my 2 cents.
It was a big chore to get through some of this book, but I'm glad I did, the house sections are a real treasure. I came away with huge respect for the artistry involved in creating the physical book itself. If you're struggling, the trick is to SKIM THE SHIT OUT OF FOOTNOTES, especially Zampano's never ending lists.
WTH like 60% of the story and themes is in the notes, if you burnt yourself out by only reading the ones you obviously weren't supposed to read that's entirely on you.
It really is a special book. I think any art that plays with format and challenges preconceived notions should be absolutely cherished regardless of overall quality. Twin Peaks, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Metal Gear Solid 2, James Joyce's Ulysses, Everythint At the end of Time, Yume Nikki, hell even TH-cam's Alan Tutorial or Lasagne Cat should all be appreciated for deconstructing their respective mediums.
I like the honesty. I tried a few times and couldn't get into it. I first tried when I read the back and it sounded interesting, and then a few other times when it was recommended..
I already read this bad boy and have my opinions thank you very much but I wanted to leave this comment to let you know you are very good at making videos and I am glad you create content, thank you
I never knew that there were these sort of internet nuances about this book. Personally, I'm a huge sucker for horror stories like this. A house that's changing in subtle or huge ways is one of the coolest horror concepts next to doppelgangers I can think of.
I read the book decades ago when I was in high school. I now have these snippits of a horror movie in my head, snippits of a movie documentary that doesn't exist.
HoL is my favorite book ever. The reason I love it so much is because I find that it's a finely crafted narative, between the 2 stories and it's meaning, I will agree you only really like this book, if you LIKE this book, and that is a problem. The sexism in the book is weird, but I can throw that away because of Johnny just being a bad person overall. Reading this at face value you come away with "Johnny is a broken man who I feel bad for". I find the most intresting part about HoL is that it's not really a book for anyone. It's not trying to please anyone besides 1 person, Mark Z. Daniewlski's mom. But that's JUST A THEORY, A BOOK THEORY. At the end of the day, I do highly agree with a lot of your points about the book
Whenever I had House of Leaves recommended to me, it was mostly through ignoring the weird framing entirely and just talking about the story of the house itself. And when I read it I could see why. It's not that the framing isn't itself interesting or adding to it all--I actually think the weird structure helps bring the house's non-euclidian weirdness to the front in ways that aren't really done in... well, most fiction of any medium. But the central hook is always the mystery and horror of the house itself, and the further it gets from that mystery, the less interesting it is. I feel like the biggest problem of the Johnny stuff isn't even Johnny or his terrible internal monologue and view of other people (which are all bad don't get me wrong), but just that he's the furthest thing away from the house, both tonally and narratively. It's like watching a gripping drama that randomly breaks into terrible slapstick comedy that kills its mood: that break is the killer, the fact it's not even very good is just an extra frustration.
@@Z3tona I liked a lot of it, but not all of it. Besides "Hey Pretty" being played on MTV, I heard the title track in the end credits to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.
I DNFed this three times over fifteen years. I think video is a better medium for what he tried to accomplish… but obviously he did something right with how many people enjoyed it. On the plus side his sister’s two music albums have great writing, and some of the songs reference this book, for those who cannot get enough of it.
I liked the book bc I saw it as a love story, there’s no room in the house for their love, even when it gets bigger and bigger. Then what saves him from the house truly, is love.
Haha, that's the question I had when I bought this book in 2005. While I do remember it somewhat fondly, I'm more thankful that it sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole of ergodic literature like The Unfortunates, S. or anything by Milorad Pavic.
There was a song out at the same time the book was first published, I think the artist's name is Poe. I'd heard she was the author's sister, and parts of this book were narrated into the song. Can't remember it, pretty pedestrian altrock for the time, pretty regular rotation on The Edge.
I just finished reading House of Leaves, and got recommended this video. I never really heard of it before reading it, and it is a very interesting read. I think it is a book that really experiments with its medium and tires to break its boundaires. For me the main theme of the book is relfection, the house reflects the different characters flaws but some of the other elements of the sotry also showcase that theme (the chapter about echoes...). Reading House of Leaves was a pleasant expereicne but sometimes it felt frustrating, some thing just didn't make any sense or felt unecessary and covoluted, it's also hard to determine if it was meant to be this way or if it is our own experience. Our understanding of the book is also a reflexion of our expections in a way, because that abmiguity in the author's intention leaves a lot of room for interpretation
I remember being a bit overwhelmed by this book as a teen, and definitely a bit put off by Johnny Truant’s monologues, but I remember finishing and enjoying it as a form of meta-found footage. I couldn’t get through the author’s following book “Only Revolutions,” though - having to flip the whole novel upside-down every couple of pages got old.
I read it twice: during the first reading, while enjoying the book, I really didn't get the whole "Most terrifying book ever" label several people attached to it, and I thought I had missed something. The second reading confirmed my first impression: I like it but it wasn't the life changing experience many people claimed it would've been.
Have you read "S" by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst? IT's a similar affair, although also has various other newspaper clippings, letters etc stuffed in the pages. There are multiple meta narratives that play out in messages scrawled in the margins, in the text of the book and with the extra bits. It's not bad, but again, requires some dedication to get through.
I think I liked the book because of stuff like the bit where there's a description of someone climbing, like, through a small hole and over an overhang or whatever and the typing quite obviously did the same thing. And because it quoted a fictional version of Stephen King that sounded just like Stephen King.
This book is too immature. Complexity should be inside, not outside. Tolkien dedicated his life to creating an entire new world, complete with its own languages, culture, history, mythology, geography etc. That is complexity. LOTR doesn't scream "I'm quirky" at your face. But the deeper you go, the more you find.
I read this book almost 20 years ago and loved the experience of reading it. I was a security guard working nights at the time and the book came with me, and it always made rounds of this giant building a bit more... interesting. It was *kind* of creepy but not *really* and I was definitely put off and even grossed out by some parts, but more importantly than anything else to my enjoyment of it was that it was like a puzzle, every word a potential contribution to the solution. I really enjoy that kind of thing.
I read this book and it got into my head. The experience it produced was unique. I appreciate your honest criticism of this book. A friend of mine skipped all the Johnny parts on his first read through. The different paths through the book make great discussion points.
Hmmm your perspective on House of Leaves is interesting and I like your criticism on how people just say the books flaws are intentional as well as the criticism of the characters (I have never read this book, but I have watched on- two videos on it, so im pretty much an expert). But more importantly I like your reese's puffs thumbnail....
Read this about fifteen years ago. Yes! It is a slog and by the end i wasn't quite sure if it was worth it or not. All i really remember of it now was how the impossible space of the house fascinated me. My copy also came with The Whalestoe Letters. After i finished House of Leaves i looked at the add-on book and just said, "You know what? It can wait." And so it has for fifteen years...
how about a parody called "House of Weeds" and it completely subverts the self-seriousness and haute litterature of House of Leaves by making the *actual plot* a goofy stoner comedy while still employing exactly the same narrative tone and set of gimmicks. So instead of using the gimmicks to mimic the sense that you're losing your mind or whatever, it's trying to mimic the sense that you're getting higher and higher as you read. Oh and the word "weed" is highlighted green throughout.
After reading House of Leaves, and even all this time later, I was never concerned with whether it was good. Honestly, I doubt Danielewski was specifically concerned with that, either. All I know is I'll never forget it
I haven't finished _House of Leaves,_ but not because I felt it was boring. Not at all. The first thing that really grabbed me wasn't the structural gimmicks but some of the internal monologue stuff; how one par-for-the-crourse moderatly coherent rant on Johnny's part will suddenly cascade into this sensory oblivion. It was exhausting but also very intriging to read. I had to go back over it to even figure out what was happening at first and found it really strange and gripping. but it was all self-contained within that partiuclar section and voice within the book. It wasn't scattershot in the manner the book seems to be known for. It was just good old fasioned expert narration of a very peculiar subject matter. I felt that the author was in a very acute state of consciousness as this stuff must have been pouring out of them which reflects a kind of kaleidoscopic view of the archetype. It doesn't really mean anything but it was a very staggering and uncanny profusion of language, which is what I image some people appreciate about works such as _Finnigan's Wake._ Uncanney is really the word here. There was a very distinct threshold where this thign left off; a event horizon like passing into one of the twilight zones of the titular house where the space no longer follows the accepted laws of space-time and you're just echoing into Toon Town as the dials on your psychological instruments spin out fo control and beyond all meaning. It was a gate into another reality the kind of way that mystics or writers like Nietzsche become possessed and I guess I kept going out of wonder. The desire to understand what was happening but not clutching at any potential answer. If I'd required an answer I'd have left the experience disappointed rather than spiritually edified. It's like sitting on your porch, watching a UFO glide overhead as you sit there stupifed and then never seeing the thing again or any sign that you hadn't just fabricated the whole thing in your mind, let alone evidence that it had in fact happend. What I saw of the post-modern angle didn't really interest me and perhaps my interest will wane in the latter pages of the book for that reason as the narrative voices recede into the background, but we'll see. Thaat my attention was constantly being split across multiple points of view did little but provide some comedy and no small amount of intrigue. How did a vaporous incoherent mess like Johnny's notes make it into a published book? Why the hell did the latter editiors leave this crap in, vibranty textured and interest crap as the case may be?
And it’s kind of a love/hate letter to Hollywood. I don’t know why, but when I was reading it, I kept thinking it was something you’d enjoy. The author isn’t well known, and it’s self-published…but it packs a punch. It’s a book that has stayed with me for weird, impossible-to-define reasons.
Loved House of Leaves! But I was genuinely enjoying the gimmicks throughout the book and not expecting anything more. At the end I was genuinely surprised how satisfied I was with the resolution. My takeaway was a story of a man being consumed by his work/art and his wife’s love that saves him. Then the ultimate joke of the book is that Zampeno and all the academic criticism within the book couldn’t see that it was all a love story. Now does that justify the length? I’m not sure. Still think it plays around with enough fun ideas to keep it interesting.
I have read it when it came out and was fascinated by it. You review is dead on. It reminded me a lot of infinite jest which to me was a poor man’s gravity’s rainbow. Enjoyed your video a lot.
I read this back when it came out, Easter egg for you. His sister was a singer named Poe listen to her albums and they go with the book too.. it really was cool back then.. going to look and see what the album was..
I have a recommendation, if I may: Night Film by Marisha Pessl. It's a multimedia novel in the same vein as House of Leaves, but much more coherent and is all just one narrative that moves forward. The "multimedia" aspect of it is website and news article clips, interviews, etc. But it works well and the story is thrilling!
Maybe if teachers want kids to be interested in reading they also should do ten funny skits for every time they tell them to read a book
As someone who sat through English classes where professors tried being funny during Macbeth… yes, but remember children hate learning and will self sabotage to look cool among peers
@@royceshatzel lol based
although some kids try to look cool and smart, giving a double blast of coolness.
Some of them attempt this. But key word is "funny"
I wish that teachers would find out what really interests their kids and get them reading about those things at a young age. That way they will already be in that place of being excited to read.
@@Angel_HippieCityHealing yup
I think you're right in the sense that a lot of people praise the book because there is this sense of "I'm so smart because I *got* it, I enjoyed it", being part of this in-group, but on the other hand, I think for me personally, I loved this story about people who create so *so* many issues for themselves and others, and they convince themselves it's because of this House, outside forces, when in reality it's because of their own flaws, and they refuse to acknowledge it. And that goes for us, the reader, too, because we *want* the House to be something more, like the characters inside.
I hate pretentious things and this book and its readers seem like those type of people.
@@ProjektTaku "pretentious" is such an annoying buzz word criticism. is everything that sincerely strives for excellence pretentious? is every person that truly enjoys intellectually analyzing and praising a thing pretentious? it's an overused word often representative of empty criticism. people can love things and rave about how they think it's a deep and intelligent work of art without trying to be anything they aren't. there usually are many reasons why critically acclaimed things are popular! and many people who use this word just use it to describe people who conform to a specific artistic consensus.
@@treeigh not really.
Pretentious is just getting cocky cause you read or watched something and think your better cause you did. Its a very simple but effective criticism.
Pretentious people are people who talk about "cinema" and "cinematic palette" and think their so smart cause they read something that's "unique" and "different" and "underrated", even if they didn't get it.
@@ProjektTaku Calling something or someone pretentious doesn't really add anything to the conversation though. It's like calling something "cringe". If you disagree with someone's interpretation of a work or you disagree with the message of a work, just say that.
It's usually used by insecure people who are afraid of intellectual pursuits and rather stay in their limited bubble of mediocrity.
I love how accurate it is to tell someone about this book 💀
It isn't like a normal telling someone about a book. Nope.
All i do is show them some pages, usually the inverted paragraphs and pages with like 1 word.
Then if they're interested I lend them the book
i felt so called out there
I think people are just intrigued whether the house was really occupied by leaves or a family with Leaves as their family name. Then they get something else. Honestly, I don't know. I have a copy but haven't read it yet.
Actually, I think it's more of a meta statement. We, the readers, are the leaves.
@@gabrieljaffe7426 The House of Leaves at that.
it's because the house makes you want to leave
@@gabrieljaffe7426 the real leaves were the friends we made along the way
@@SpoopySquid hahahaNO!
I love the sketches but the book videos are what I originally subscribed for so I'm always happy to see both
The Thing Man was originally Carrying is Booktube.
It's the opposite for me. Subscribed for the jokes, but love the literature taking in this channel.
@@shytendeakatamanoir9740 nice pun
Its sad that sketches have way more views than the book videos.
@@jus_sanguinis Both have their audience, and some of us like both. It's like a restaurant menu:
If you offer your signature dish and several other, there's a good chance that you end up selling more than with just your perfectly balanced dish. Thing is that the customers that like your place will not be restricted to go only they want your signature dish, and can invite others that don't even like such recipe to go there, and still have an enjoyable experience.
One of my favorite books. Its horror reputation sets up expectations that the book doesn't meet for me at all. But man did it stick with me.
Honestly I don't think I've ever experienced true horror from media. I mostly just consume horror media for creepy atmosphere and cool visual effects, which is fine.
@@h4724-q6j i think ONE of the only true terror moments i've ever experienced from media has been from a lower budget film than the ones people typically talk about. and by terror i mean, excluding real-life type of horror that things like my favorites (hill house, bly manor) do. the movie As Above So Below. i was already a stickler and a horror snob by the time i saw that and watched it both for premise and title, wasn't expecting much based on the found-footage-seeming aspect, but it scared the living shit out of me. it made me feel as unsafe and shocked as the characters did, while also providing me with fulfillment in similar areas of education that the characters loved lol. i'm not easily scared and almost wish i was, but that movie genuinely made me feel terror lol. i think in a similar way that house of leaves can make the reader feel. Lost. going in circles but still going too far in that it doesn't feel to have a way back around. etc. i think it's a fun scary watch
i went into it without horror expectations and more just wanting to know what the fuck this zampano guy is writing about, how does this house work? I think in doing that I got a better experience of the book, I definitely don't understand everything that is meant to have been conveyed but I enjoyed the use of metanarratives. It was entertaining that zampano could just make shit up like quotes from celebrities in some strange world which is built on made up sources but interacts with itself to be something more than it is, that is if truant didn't imagine everything of zampanos
@@ihatemickiegee Evangelion kinda did that for me lol
My experience to a T
I read this book quite a few years ago, and it has really stuck with me. I’m not usually someone with irrational emotional ties to books to the point I reject any criticism, but this book helped me through some very tough times emotionally at a point where I had enough free time to read it in a week. I’ve wanted to reread it for years, but the thought that it may not live up to my own expectations have kept me from ever committing to reading more than the first three chapters.
I did read it again years later, and it definitely held up. One of those 'every time you find something new' stories, since there's enough characters that you can always find someone else to relate to.
@@danielgehring7437 I dunno, I never really liked the many characters in it, as I felt there wasn't enough time to develop them all equally. The book should've been longer to develop them more. But I did like how distinct and unique they all were.
@@ProjektTaku Well, hence my recommendation to read it again. I don't think it being any longer would have helped... it's already a massive undertaking... but giving it a round 2 can definitely help flesh out each character, especially with the appendices.
@@danielgehring7437 lol guess so.
To me it seemed pretty short, although that might just be from reading a over 20 year old manga with over 1000 chapters/100 volumes which is still ongoing.
A round 2 could probably help.
Comparing the "backrooms" to the House was way more accurate than I expected.
As weird as it sounds this was the first book I read when I got back into reading in my 20s, I totally didn't "get" a lot of it but I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's definitely not for everybody but at the same time I'm saddened when people just dismiss it as pretentious and/or being quirky for quirkiness' sake. I think the whacky design choices were partially "the point," but I also think the author put effort into making each of them work; they weren't just lazily slapped together to cover the books deficiencies, even though it does have definiencies.
Also for a book recommendation, I HIGHLY recommend The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. VERY slept on book that really makes you look inward.
Oooh.
Even you're normal book review videos aren't normal by this awkwardly funny editing, music, you constantly changing position etc.... really nice Man!
I couldn't put this book down when I read it a few months ago. I found it really engaging, it really pulled me through. I really got a lot out of it, but I also entirely understand that it's not really for everyone.
I asked for this book as a birthday gift about a decade ago after going on various forums looking for dread-inducing, creepy atmospheric horror novel recommendations. I must have tried getting through it about 5 times by now and the furthest I have ever got was about half-way. It actually annoyed me so much that I couldn't get through the back and forth commitment that this novel requires of the reader that it stopped me from reading anything entirely for several years. It's been on my bedside table constantly as a reminder that I still need to revisit and finish it. I don't know if it is a pretentiousness, that you mentioned, how some of the characters come off as or, as you stated, the gimmicky nature of the book or something entirely different. I want to finish it, but I get tired thinking about finishing it before I even open up the book again. I have mentioned this book to so many people and flicked through the pages to show them how weird it gets with the experimental use of words (or lack of any) on certain pages, but have never recommended it despite it having one or two pretty effective horror moments, that have already been explored many times since in other mediums such as film.
I know that liminal space horror has had a recent surge in popularity with "The Back Rooms" found footage memes that have come back into fashion recently and it's been boosted by a lot of creative collectives and individuals such as Kane Pixels (who you have featured in this video) and upcoming projects such as Skinamarink by Bightsized Nightmares. I find that stuff pretty cool and unsettling, but I worry now that when I do eventually finish this book that I will have already seen what it has to offer elsewhere.
I hope it is worth it.
lol yeah, but its really just a gimmick secton to add flavor.
A lot of the gimmicky sections are just to create a certain mood or make the reader disoriented. You can skip over some sections once you see what is meaningless text for effect.
I really don‘t don't think it is worth it. P.T. Captured what this book was going for with a single hallway, without all the terible dialogue and tedium. Tedium I would be all for if it was in the hands of a great writer
Read Anne Rice‘s Lives of the Mayfair Witches series if you want great horror in novel form.
@@HunkyTalkenMonkey01 thanks for the recommendation, I'll check that series out
Im soo glad that MYHOUSE is introducing people to this book
While I agree with most of this video, I still intensely loved the whole experience of going through HoL. The late nights skimming through footnotes and highlighting seemingly important stuff felt like being back at university, doing obscure research. I would often skip the more frustrating sections, which honestly did feel intentional, like rummaging through a bunch of unorganized sources in search for proof. Among all of this, the „aha!” moments felt super rewarding to me. And you’re right, reading about it online felt like a huge bonus. I spent a good few weeks looking through forums, and even got into the HoL-inspired album written by Danielewski’s sister. All in all, despite its numerous flaws, it’s one of my favorite books. And I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. 😅
it may be that your skits are so short and reliably funny, but i love to click on your videos. when it's something even more engaging, I pause and i thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don't read enough but I began buying books again but only from the specific authors (and manga creators), because I just don't like reading. But these kinds of videos light a kind of fire under my ass no other videos on youtube can ever achieve.
lol based
I think part of the reason people love it is that in an age of ebooks and audiobooks, this is one story that absolutely has to be read in an old-fashioned physical book, and it's designed to make the most of that format. Similarly, you could try reading 'S' by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst, another book that celebrates the physicality of books, only without the horror element this time.
I enjoyed looking like a crazy person turning this book this way and that while reading it at a café. I did get through it in the end, but only because I was invested in the spooky house story.
I adore this book and have read it like five times, but I agree with a lot of the frustrations you listed here. In particular, I think about the scene early on where Johnny goes on a drive with Kyrie, which includes one of my favorite lines in any sex scene ever: "the longest unzipping of my life". But I heard that line first in the remix of "Hey Pretty" by the author's sister Poe, over which he reads an abridged version of this scene and breaks from the chorus right after this line. All of which helps it land way more strongly than it does in the book, where it's just one phrase in the middle of a giant, rambling Johnny sentence.
Still love the book though, and also Poe deserves way more love because her music absolutely slaps.
Good video. I disagree.
Mandisagreeingthings
Good comment. However I disagree.
HOL is one of my 2 favorite books of all-time. I think you hit the nail on the head, 'you get out, what you put into it' which is why it has such a strong affect on some people. The other book i had a similar feeling with was 100 years of solitude.
Yeah, I understand that if you're expecting too much from a novel - or any piece of art, for that matter - because of the hype surrounding it, the intellectual material itself can be quite disenchanting. However: I've read and bought House of Leaves three times now, after bumping into it as a twentysomething, in a book store during the early 2000s. It is a magnificent yarn, but faces the same problem as Infinite Jest: the volume is intimidating at first, but once you get stuck in the various narratives, it's hard to find your way out; to explain it to other people can prove to be a futile undertaking - unless they're ready to dive in head first.
That’s funny, this video brought to mind Infinite Jest and I wondered if that would be a more worthwhile endeavor (since they are both classified as ‘endeavors’in my head to me, similar level of hype, similar level of commitment). Of the two, which did you enjoy reading more, if you don’t mind me asking?
@@hinnakoto Both storywise and stylistically, David Foster Wallace is simply the better author; whereas I can understand some people consider House of Leaves' unusual format not much more than a fascinating gimmick, the same cannot be said of Infinite Jest.
pls do more of these longer videos with skits interwoven its great
House of Leaves is a very cool idea for a book. I think at its core the book is about about the relationship between people and art. Zampano obsessed over House of Leaves much how Navidson obsessed over his documentary and photography. Johnny's fascination with House of Leaves turned to an obsession as his own mental health spiralled out of control. We use art to understand more about ourselves whether as a creator or an observer. my 2 cents.
It was a big chore to get through some of this book, but I'm glad I did, the house sections are a real treasure. I came away with huge respect for the artistry involved in creating the physical book itself.
If you're struggling, the trick is to SKIM THE SHIT OUT OF FOOTNOTES, especially Zampano's never ending lists.
WTH like 60% of the story and themes is in the notes, if you burnt yourself out by only reading the ones you obviously weren't supposed to read that's entirely on you.
It really is a special book. I think any art that plays with format and challenges preconceived notions should be absolutely cherished regardless of overall quality. Twin Peaks, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Metal Gear Solid 2, James Joyce's Ulysses, Everythint At the end of Time, Yume Nikki, hell even TH-cam's Alan Tutorial or Lasagne Cat should all be appreciated for deconstructing their respective mediums.
Hang Up the whale painting. It doesnt belong on the floor :(
im too indecisive i don't know where to put it :(
@@ManCarryingThing yes i know the feeling :(
It has the full man carrying thing lore
I keep trying to get into this book, but it's always been difficult for me just because of my ADHD and how I have trouble reading non visual stories
lol
I like the honesty. I tried a few times and couldn't get into it.
I first tried when I read the back and it sounded interesting, and then a few other times when it was recommended..
I already read this bad boy and have my opinions thank you very much but I wanted to leave this comment to let you know you are very good at making videos and I am glad you create content, thank you
now that I watched the video I agree with you 100%
I never knew that there were these sort of internet nuances about this book. Personally, I'm a huge sucker for horror stories like this. A house that's changing in subtle or huge ways is one of the coolest horror concepts next to doppelgangers I can think of.
I read the book decades ago when I was in high school. I now have these snippits of a horror movie in my head, snippits of a movie documentary that doesn't exist.
HoL is my favorite book ever. The reason I love it so much is because I find that it's a finely crafted narative, between the 2 stories and it's meaning, I will agree you only really like this book, if you LIKE this book, and that is a problem.
The sexism in the book is weird, but I can throw that away because of Johnny just being a bad person overall. Reading this at face value you come away with "Johnny is a broken man who I feel bad for". I find the most intresting part about HoL is that it's not really a book for anyone. It's not trying to please anyone besides 1 person, Mark Z. Daniewlski's mom. But that's JUST A THEORY, A BOOK THEORY.
At the end of the day, I do highly agree with a lot of your points about the book
I know you were quoting someone else, but I just heard the sweet sweedish accent of Kilian Experience in my head.
@@val_wildling767 Well I wasn't quoting a real person, it was just a hypothetical quote
But y'know I could totally see that
Whenever I had House of Leaves recommended to me, it was mostly through ignoring the weird framing entirely and just talking about the story of the house itself. And when I read it I could see why. It's not that the framing isn't itself interesting or adding to it all--I actually think the weird structure helps bring the house's non-euclidian weirdness to the front in ways that aren't really done in... well, most fiction of any medium. But the central hook is always the mystery and horror of the house itself, and the further it gets from that mystery, the less interesting it is.
I feel like the biggest problem of the Johnny stuff isn't even Johnny or his terrible internal monologue and view of other people (which are all bad don't get me wrong), but just that he's the furthest thing away from the house, both tonally and narratively. It's like watching a gripping drama that randomly breaks into terrible slapstick comedy that kills its mood: that break is the killer, the fact it's not even very good is just an extra frustration.
I first heard about the book in connection to that album "Haunted" from that singer Poe.
Poe deserves way more love! "Haunted" is one of my favorite albums of all time.
@@Z3tona I liked a lot of it, but not all of it.
Besides "Hey Pretty" being played on MTV, I heard the title track in the end credits to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.
I DNFed this three times over fifteen years.
I think video is a better medium for what he tried to accomplish… but obviously he did something right with how many people enjoyed it.
On the plus side his sister’s two music albums have great writing, and some of the songs reference this book, for those who cannot get enough of it.
I really liked Five Decembers. Thanks for the recommendation.
"fast, slow, fast-fast, slow"
I first heard of this book when Mark was on tour with his sister, doing spoken word in her songs, about 20 years ago.
First Super Eyepatch Wolf and now The Man. This book is in my list right now
I am in favor of more sponsorships from Kickstarter campaigns for books.
I liked the book bc I saw it as a love story, there’s no room in the house for their love, even when it gets bigger and bigger. Then what saves him from the house truly, is love.
Got this book a few years ago, haven't read it yet but I'm surprised it's so popular that you made a video about it.
Haha, that's the question I had when I bought this book in 2005. While I do remember it somewhat fondly, I'm more thankful that it sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole of ergodic literature like The Unfortunates, S. or anything by Milorad Pavic.
There was a song out at the same time the book was first published, I think the artist's name is Poe. I'd heard she was the author's sister, and parts of this book were narrated into the song. Can't remember it, pretty pedestrian altrock for the time, pretty regular rotation on The Edge.
I just finished reading House of Leaves, and got recommended this video. I never really heard of it before reading it, and it is a very interesting read. I think it is a book that really experiments with its medium and tires to break its boundaires. For me the main theme of the book is relfection, the house reflects the different characters flaws but some of the other elements of the sotry also showcase that theme (the chapter about echoes...).
Reading House of Leaves was a pleasant expereicne but sometimes it felt frustrating, some thing just didn't make any sense or felt unecessary and covoluted, it's also hard to determine if it was meant to be this way or if it is our own experience. Our understanding of the book is also a reflexion of our expections in a way, because that abmiguity in the author's intention leaves a lot of room for interpretation
The best Circa Survive track of all time IMO is House of leaves; a secret track on their first album Juturna. Top notch chill music.!
I bought this book because of this video, about to read it now
Reading/Listening to things about House of Leaves seems to be the ultimate meta.
i'd love to hear your thoughts on ann leckie's books. the ancillary justice series is great, and i very much enjoyed the raven tower
This was great. Like a 1 hour deep dive for another TH-camr but in 6 minutes.
just read “The Medium is the Massage” and some Burroughs
Well,House of Leaves,it's in libraries...
“The pick me book” is probably the best thing ever said about this book, which I’ve never read in full.
I remember being a bit overwhelmed by this book as a teen, and definitely a bit put off by Johnny Truant’s monologues, but I remember finishing and enjoying it as a form of meta-found footage. I couldn’t get through the author’s following book “Only Revolutions,” though - having to flip the whole novel upside-down every couple of pages got old.
It’s very unique, and I think it’s a good stepping stone for future novels to be in the sort of style, but well… better.
But that’s the point-
House of Leaves is like a modern Infinite Jest. Take that as positively or as negatively as you want.
I read it twice: during the first reading, while enjoying the book, I really didn't get the whole "Most terrifying book ever" label several people attached to it, and I thought I had missed something. The second reading confirmed my first impression: I like it but it wasn't the life changing experience many people claimed it would've been.
I have heard some say that the full horror didn't hit them until a few weeks after they finished reading the book.
Have you read "S" by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst? IT's a similar affair, although also has various other newspaper clippings, letters etc stuffed in the pages. There are multiple meta narratives that play out in messages scrawled in the margins, in the text of the book and with the extra bits. It's not bad, but again, requires some dedication to get through.
Wasn't expecting you to cover this book, I've considered reading it lately.
Your review came in just at the right time. My expectations for the book changed a bit but would still gladly read it
I think I liked the book because of stuff like the bit where there's a description of someone climbing, like, through a small hole and over an overhang or whatever and the typing quite obviously did the same thing. And because it quoted a fictional version of Stephen King that sounded just like Stephen King.
This book is too immature. Complexity should be inside, not outside.
Tolkien dedicated his life to creating an entire new world, complete with its own languages, culture, history, mythology, geography etc. That is complexity. LOTR doesn't scream "I'm quirky" at your face. But the deeper you go, the more you find.
I read this book almost 20 years ago and loved the experience of reading it. I was a security guard working nights at the time and the book came with me, and it always made rounds of this giant building a bit more... interesting. It was *kind* of creepy but not *really* and I was definitely put off and even grossed out by some parts, but more importantly than anything else to my enjoyment of it was that it was like a puzzle, every word a potential contribution to the solution. I really enjoy that kind of thing.
This book is awesome.
Also low-key didn't expect a book that terrified me all because of the way they organized the pages.
I love this book. I've had it since around 2004 or so but haven't been able to get anyone to read it to discuss it with me.
1 minute in and somehow I've clicked the subscribe button- damn. This book has intrigued me.
I just finished the book (it took me about two years to read it). I absolutely agree with everything you said
House of Leaves is stellar. It's a lot of fun, yet challenging, book.
Yes finally!! This is the book review I've been WAITING for
I read this book and it got into my head. The experience it produced was unique. I appreciate your honest criticism of this book.
A friend of mine skipped all the Johnny parts on his first read through. The different paths through the book make great discussion points.
LOVE! Love! Love! Your book content.
I have really wanted to read this book, and after seeing this video, I want to read it more, I need to know if I agree with you or not.
I come for the shorts, but I stay for the short book analysis
I hope you do Infinite Jest some day
Hmmm your perspective on House of Leaves is interesting and I like your criticism on how people just say the books flaws are intentional as well as the criticism of the characters (I have never read this book, but I have watched on- two videos on it, so im pretty much an expert). But more importantly I like your reese's puffs thumbnail....
Read this about fifteen years ago. Yes! It is a slog and by the end i wasn't quite sure if it was worth it or not. All i really remember of it now was how the impossible space of the house fascinated me. My copy also came with The Whalestoe Letters. After i finished House of Leaves i looked at the add-on book and just said, "You know what? It can wait."
And so it has for fifteen years...
Came for the sketches. Stayed for the books.
how about a parody called "House of Weeds" and it completely subverts the self-seriousness and haute litterature of House of Leaves by making the *actual plot* a goofy stoner comedy while still employing exactly the same narrative tone and set of gimmicks. So instead of using the gimmicks to mimic the sense that you're losing your mind or whatever, it's trying to mimic the sense that you're getting higher and higher as you read. Oh and the word "weed" is highlighted green throughout.
He has a whole super series using the same format
After reading House of Leaves, and even all this time later, I was never concerned with whether it was good. Honestly, I doubt Danielewski was specifically concerned with that, either. All I know is I'll never forget it
Never heard of this book before. I might check it out now
I can’t wait to read this next month 😮
Thanks for the video.
Haven't read it, but from what I'm hearing the biggest flaw is an appalling lack of spaceships. I bet it has none, like not even one. No thanks.
House of Leaves is a book that isn't afraid to tell you that Johnny Truant beat it off to Bambi at page 3 of the introduction
3:47 Oh man I remember that guy only it was in college. He dropped out when we criticized his first story. It sucked but we were polite about it.
I haven't finished _House of Leaves,_ but not because I felt it was boring. Not at all. The first thing that really grabbed me wasn't the structural gimmicks but some of the internal monologue stuff; how one par-for-the-crourse moderatly coherent rant on Johnny's part will suddenly cascade into this sensory oblivion. It was exhausting but also very intriging to read. I had to go back over it to even figure out what was happening at first and found it really strange and gripping. but it was all self-contained within that partiuclar section and voice within the book. It wasn't scattershot in the manner the book seems to be known for. It was just good old fasioned expert narration of a very peculiar subject matter. I felt that the author was in a very acute state of consciousness as this stuff must have been pouring out of them which reflects a kind of kaleidoscopic view of the archetype. It doesn't really mean anything but it was a very staggering and uncanny profusion of language, which is what I image some people appreciate about works such as _Finnigan's Wake._ Uncanney is really the word here. There was a very distinct threshold where this thign left off; a event horizon like passing into one of the twilight zones of the titular house where the space no longer follows the accepted laws of space-time and you're just echoing into Toon Town as the dials on your psychological instruments spin out fo control and beyond all meaning.
It was a gate into another reality the kind of way that mystics or writers like Nietzsche become possessed and I guess I kept going out of wonder. The desire to understand what was happening but not clutching at any potential answer. If I'd required an answer I'd have left the experience disappointed rather than spiritually edified.
It's like sitting on your porch, watching a UFO glide overhead as you sit there stupifed and then never seeing the thing again or any sign that you hadn't just fabricated the whole thing in your mind, let alone evidence that it had in fact happend.
What I saw of the post-modern angle didn't really interest me and perhaps my interest will wane in the latter pages of the book for that reason as the narrative voices recede into the background, but we'll see. Thaat my attention was constantly being split across multiple points of view did little but provide some comedy and no small amount of intrigue. How did a vaporous incoherent mess like Johnny's notes make it into a published book? Why the hell did the latter editiors leave this crap in, vibranty textured and interest crap as the case may be?
Sunflower, by Tex Gresham! It’s another sort of dense, experimental work like this-but it’s a lot more fun…and it’s funny!
And it’s kind of a love/hate letter to Hollywood. I don’t know why, but when I was reading it, I kept thinking it was something you’d enjoy. The author isn’t well known, and it’s self-published…but it packs a punch. It’s a book that has stayed with me for weird, impossible-to-define reasons.
Loved House of Leaves! But I was genuinely enjoying the gimmicks throughout the book and not expecting anything more. At the end I was genuinely surprised how satisfied I was with the resolution.
My takeaway was a story of a man being consumed by his work/art and his wife’s love that saves him. Then the ultimate joke of the book is that Zampeno and all the academic criticism within the book couldn’t see that it was all a love story.
Now does that justify the length? I’m not sure. Still think it plays around with enough fun ideas to keep it interesting.
Ok the album by Poe called haunted went along with her brothers book. House of leaves..
I finally read it after owning it for 20 years and promptly threw it in the trash upon finishing it
700 pages with 400 pages worth of words.
“i’m not getting anything in return from this book”
that’s the point!
also do you like haunting of hill house or bly manor more?
So I’ve only ever seen your short skits so this whole video I wasn’t sure if this was a genuine review or a series of skits
The only book i really like that I’ve only read once. It’s like having a second job
Have you read Catch 22? If so what did you think
I love the part where Navidson said “It’s Navidson time” and Navidsoned all over the page.
I have read it when it came out and was fascinated by it. You review is dead on. It reminded me a lot of infinite jest which to me was a poor man’s gravity’s rainbow. Enjoyed your video a lot.
I read this back when it came out, Easter egg for you. His sister was a singer named Poe listen to her albums and they go with the book too.. it really was cool back then.. going to look and see what the album was..
After hearing you talk about this book, think it’d be great to hear some infinte jest thoughts
I have a recommendation, if I may: Night Film by Marisha Pessl.
It's a multimedia novel in the same vein as House of Leaves, but much more coherent and is all just one narrative that moves forward. The "multimedia" aspect of it is website and news article clips, interviews, etc. But it works well and the story is thrilling!
I had a friend give me his copy 6 years ago, saying it was a great read and it would be my style. I have yet to get past the first few pages.