On Reading House of Leaves

I love how this book begins.

With a warning:

"This is not for you." It's more like a challenge taunting you to begin. Even so, there are some of you who may wonder if it is for you. You might be intimidated by the size or the strangeness of it all when you opened it and perused the pages.

Don't be.

To help you along your reading journey here are my tips for reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.

Get your own copy

Yes, you can always borrow a copy from a friend or the library but I say get your own copy and here's why: You want the experience to be all your own.

What do I mean? Let say I lend my copy that I read to a friend. All my notes are in there (the 'decodes', reference notes, and so on). These notes I made reflect my journey, and they will take away some of the unique experience if they don't have to discover things on their own.

Also, if you are like me, you will want a record of your own journey and reading experience. So, if you can, get your own copy.

Take Your Time

Go into reading this book knowing it is most likely not a novel you will binge read and finish in one or two sittings. Not necessarily because of the length, but because it is just a different sort of novel. You'll see.

There are sections where you will have a difficult time putting it down, but savor the experience. Don't rush.

Don't be intimidated by the size of the book

The book is large but you will see that many of the pages have only a few words on them. The book is the size it is to give you the unique experience it alone holds.

Also - and this is just my opinion - the book is set up like a textbook, with footnotes and appendices in the back. However, this textbook-like novel has an engaging story, puzzle-like nature, and labyrinthine experience that is what makes it so jarring. Don't be intimidated. It's fun, it's scary, it's awesome.

Don't feel you have to get bogged down in the footnotes.

This book has a lot of book notes and tangents to follow. You can read them if you want to or not. You can look up the sources if you want to although some of them are fake (and some real). Eventually, you will start to get a feel for when to look up something and when just get the gist of it and keep reading.

The footnotes and references are definitely are part of the story and can add to the reading experience, but if you just want to skim over some - that is totally ok. Don't get so bogged down in them that you feel you are losing the story.

It's a different book, so read it differently.

Yes, yes - dive in and get absorbed in the story. But also, follow some of the tangents, look up some of the references. The book is very much an experience - so let yourself in on that experience. If you have to turn the book around or upside down to read it - do so.

Read with a pencil in hand.

You will probably want to make notes and there is even a bit you will have to "decode" so keep your pencil handy. I liked to note if something was a fake reference, or if I notice something weird or interesting going on.

Treat it a bit like a puzzle

It is not necessarily a straightforward story (beginning, middle, end). It is a story within a story and there are extras everywhere that reveal more information. Bring your brain. Reading this novel is not always a passive endeavor.

If you get stuck, go online.

There is a huge online community of HOL lovers who you can connect with or read their discoveries or opinions.

If you want to read more about my experience, I wrote some thoughts about the book on Goodreads that I jotted down soon after finishing it.

Finally,

Every time you sit down to read House of Leaves, abandon yourself to the mystery, the strange horror, and the fun of a totally unique book.