My Thoughts on House of Leaves

I just finished House of Leaves. After I closed the book, I took note of a comment on the rear cover. From Newsweek: "One of the most ambitious, complicated, and eagerly anticipated literary debuts of the year." It's definitely ambitious, and I have no evidence that it wasn't eagerly anticipated, but complicated? I disagree.

House of Leaves' apparent complexity is a facade. At its core, it is human and emotional; it is chaotic, but only as a natural product of its humanity.

The Pink Ribbon

In particular, I'm thinking of the pink ribbon. At the end of Expedition #5, when Karen has reappears in the front lawn, she is described as wearing a pink ribbon.

Regardless of what finally enabled her to walk across that threshold, forty-nine minutes later a neighbor saw Karen crying on the front lawn, a pink ribbon in her hair, Navidson cradled in her lap. (p. 523)

Johnny's mother, in one of her letters, also mentions wearing a pink ribbon.

Like Hawthorne's Faith, I put pink ribbons in my hair and subject everyone here, including of course the good Director, to a complete account of your prodigious accomplishments. (p. 599)

Clearly the pink ribbon was added by Johnny in the process of finishing The Navidson Record. Why this parallel? It reflects his mental state. Johnny is obsessed with his mother; everything he does is tied back to her somehow.

Obsession & Destruction

Really, that's what House of Leaves is about. The house is chaotic, always changing, and impossible to navigate. It is a feeling, an emotion, a state of mind. A labyrinth which abides by no laws, by no rules, which cannot be explained by reason. And the minotaur, obsession. That thing which seduces people to enter, and destroys them if they cannot escape in time. Navidson, Johnny, and Zampano each face their own house, with their own minotaur.

House of Leaves is an exploration of obsession and the effect thereof. This theme is constantly repeated throughout the text. I'm sure you could dig into details and find all sorts of interesting tidbits to take away, but I'm not inclined to do so. The book makes itself clear without the need for any such digging.

My Experience

It took me something like two years to finally finish House of Leaves. I'm glad I finally got around to it. Despite the weirdness and chaos, it feels human in a way horror often doesn't. It's a book I won't soon forget.