Zach

When I bought this book I didn't know if I would finish it. Reading hadn't been exciting for me since elementary school. In an attempt to get back into reading last year I picked up 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' but it took me the entire summer to finish it. Commiting to 'House of Leaves' which is just about 10 times longer and much more of a laborious read was a bold decision but it somehow paid off.

I don't think I have ever been hooked by a book in quite the way that this one grabbed me. I took this book on a trip with me where I read it on the way there, during the trip, and on the way back. This book, with its daunting size and challenging composition, took me only two weeks to finish, and I am just blown away by it.

This is one of the most unique works of art I have come across. It works as so many things at once. You as the reader can choose to engage with it as much or as little as you want. It allows for intrigue of any level and, therefore, you can choose how much you get out of it.

Even the sections that felt separate from the main story (besides the Johnny Truant sections which I began skipping, sorry) had another kind of mystery. While the story was facinating in its own way, the rest of the book centers around theories and critical perspectives in which the events, characters' actions, and even the story itself can be linked to other meanings, imply deeper themes, and even raise questions of its own legitimacy.

I love the format, the story, and the horror of this book. This feels like it will be something I come back to time and time again.