arthurlwhite's Full Review: Mark Z. Danielewski and Zampano - House of Leaves
Premise: An old blind man (Zampano) mysteriously dies in his apartment and leaves behind a manuscript comprised of scraps of paper, passages written on napkins and pieces of used notebook paper, some of it scratched out or illegible, mostly in a state of disorder. A tenant in his building (Lude) breaks into Zampano's apartment after his death, steals said manuscript and passes it on to his friend/accomplice in crime (Johnny), instructing him to put the manuscript back together. Johnny accepts the old man's work and attempts to make some sense of the chaotic collection of scribbles and jottings, leaving it lying around his apartment and picking at it the way some people might pick at a puzzle which sits on their coffee table.
Zampano's manuscript reveals itself to be a highly involved commentary written about a fictional documentary which never existed and Zampano himself invented. Following the introduction, which was written by Johnny and describes in detail the night they stole the manuscript from the dead Zampano's living room, the entire book is the manuscript itself, as it is placed together--piece by piece--by Johnny. As the manuscript develops, Johnny adds side notes and personal critiques, discussing Zampano's work as well as events taking place in Johnny's own life. The book becomes a combination fiction/diary/discovery in progress, as Johnny becomes gradually obsessed by the act of arranging and studying Zampano's reason d'etre.
As the book continues, it is made increasingly clear that what happened in Zampano's manuscript parralelled what happened to Zampano, and in turn parrallels what happens to Johnny. ...and the manuscript/fictional documentary itself? It's centered around a family that moves into a house which is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
What I thought: The inventive plot alone is enough to carry this strange, experimental work of fiction, but I think it was Danielewski's (or Johnny Truant's, you might say) writing is what made this a book so beautiful and worthwhile. His long (occasionally endless) sentences are like winding poems, each one saturated with words so fantastically descriptive, the book seems to drip with color, emotion, and power.
The character Johnny is what really made the book for me. My heart bleeds for him. He's the most lost, sad person I've never met. His promiscuous lifestyle, his clever and sensitive personality, and his never ending vocabulary, all written so sincerely make him seem more real to me than many people I see and talk to every day.
Yet if Johnny wasn't interesting enough there would still be the unusual layout of the book. Beginning normally enough, the literal form of the sentences and paragraphs seems to break down and degenerate with the characters. I seem to recall a point at which there was only one word per page, for nearly one hundred pages. Take a look inside and you'll see for yourself, but not worry, it eases into the strange bits well enough so as not to lose the readers.
In like a lion, out like a lamb...: Somewhere over half way through the entire thing seems to unravel and fade away. House of Leaves is tumultuous and engulfing, and then it ends in a soft whisper and is gone. I have a friend who said she found it appropriate, and I suppose I agree with her, still that doesn't mean that I like it. I don't even recall if I ever finished it, which is a shame.
and then there's that cd his sister released: On a side note, Danielewski happens to have a sister who is a well known singer and she goes by the name of Poe. Many of you have probably heard of her. People interested in the book can pick up Poe's album, which was released sometime around the publication of the novel and uses themes from Danielewski's book in many of the songs. In fact, the ghost track at the end features a remake of a song from earlier in the album, with Danielewski himself reading a passage from the book to the beat of the music. It's really interesting--I totally recommend fans of the book pick up the album.
Despite its pitfalls, I would recommend it to anyone. It is certainly creepy (perhaps the most common descriptive word I see) and engrossing, but above all else it is unique and thoughtful and ultimately a good read.
The textbook, House of Leaves : A Novel, by Mark Z. Danielewski, available in Paperback. Published by: Random House, Inc.. Edition: . ISBN10: 037...More at Textbooks.com
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