Noble Novels: House of Leaves Op. 1

      I feel irresistibly inclined to mention this book but I'm afraid that my thoughts on Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves are much too jumbled and chaotic to coherently record at this time. This book has affected my so strongly and left such an impact, however, that I cannot help but mention it. What I may do and the reason why I entitled this post as "Op. 1" is, over time, to repeatedly revisit this novel and write about it as a gradually study it further and come to grasp it slightly better so here goes my first exploration.

       I have found, in my discussions with others who share my enthusiasm for literature, that the term "literary merit" is often synonymous with "classic" or even downright "old." I resent this stigma as I have read numerous novels published in the late twentieth/ early twenty-first century that I would argue to be of equal literary merit to the works of Dostoevsky, Dickens, or even so far back as Homer. Topping this list would, without question, be Danielewski's House of Leaves published in 2000. Danielewski, of all the authors I have encountered, is probably the most clever. Granted, he will by no means single-handedly initiate the reform of an entire industry like Upton Sinclair but that is simply because he doesn't care to. If he is trying to make any point in his novels he makes them so obscure that it would be absolutely impossible for any government organization to hear his message. Instead, he focuses on twisting the minds of his readers and taking them so far out of, away from, underneath-- as well as any number of other prepositions-- their comfort zone that I, at many points in House of Leaves, found myself reduced to a single, enormous goose-bump. House of Leaves is full of allusions, meta-imagery (imagery used to describe the imagery used by one of the character's imagery in his filmmaking), and fascinating, poly-lingual diction to an unprecedented extent. In other words, I highly recommend this novel and I do not think lovers of literature should leave it unread.
       On the other hand, I do have some grievances. Two, in fact. The first is present at various times through the middle of the novel. I found myself deeply moved and haunted by the psychological implications of the house-- for instance, the 1/4" architectural paradox and the disappearing "feng shui" items-- and I personally thought those assaults on the mind were plenty haunting and therefore was disappointed when the house actually physically attacked its inhabitants at times. I thought that was an unnecessary and somewhat cheesy measure that could, and in my opinion should, have been omitted. My second grievance is a much more petty matter regarding the ending. I actually can't decide whether or not I want to include in this post how the book ends. In fact, I think I won't. I will simply say that I was disappointed by how good it made me feel. Read House of Leaves. 

~Nobilis Saeva