The hands-down scariest book I’ve ever read was Legend of Hell House and I have a feeling that, by involving the reader in the story through its unique construction, House of Leaves will make Hell House seem like Where the Wild Things Are.

Although, I wonder how hard it would be to be able to get books with this unique form of storytelling published.

Isobel–thanks! This was a hard book to read for me, in part because of the sprawling text and also because of the horrific subject material…but yes, you nail it: the most amazing mindfuck indeed!

Kristen–I highly recommend it. It’s easily a book that you could read whislt reading other books too, so that’s always a plus

Meljean–ooh, that sounds like an interesting book! Yes, House of Leaves is very much like that. There’s a part at the end with falling and burning…and well, it’s incredibly effective. I think you’d really enjoy this book! Let me know what you think if you pick it up

Karen–LOL this was a bitch to summarize! So thank you for the props

Three words to sum it up: Terrifying. Difficult. Rewarding.

Word. I’m not always a fan of books that really make you work hard to keep reading, but House of Leaves just worked.

I remember reading this book quite quickly. I was off sick from work, when it first came out, and I spent an intense week just absorbed in the story. I felt a strange sense of unreality whenever I had to put down the book and do something ordinary…

Three words to sum it up: Terrifying. Difficult. Rewarding.

p.s. Please let me know again when my guest dare review is due. I need to chain myself to the laptop and write it. I know WHAT I want to write… just need to do it! Also, can I include pictures?

I love the idea of the text being a part of the story. Agh, I can’t think of the book/author now, but I remember seeing something similar — but just on the very last page, and the text is about an angel falling, and the very last line drops into a vertical dive. The combination was stunning in so many ways.

The power of storytelling, yes.