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book log 001
Apr. 24th, 2021 11:37 amtitle: House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
started: 4/28/21
ended: 5/4/21
thoughts:
(4/30/21)
-really really good use of run-on sentences
-enjoy how the narrative is deliberately confusing, but never gets so confusing it becomes obtuse or frustrating to read. appreciate how there is always a thread of narrative normalcy for the reader to follow even when the formatting goes full-on indulgent bullshit
-on the fence about how women are written but leaning towards 'yikes'
(5/4/21)
-there is exactly one fully realized woman in this book and the rest can be categorized as women that the protagonist wants to fuck, women who the protagonist doesn't feel strongly about and fucks, or his mother. mom genes and mom-related trauma are also a major factor used to explain the protagonist's more deranged moments which is always an ~EXCITING~ trope to run into when you are a woman with a great deal of both personal and professional experience with mental illness and its treatment.
- the novel's conceit of having all references to The Minotaur and the Labyrinth struck out by the original author, then restored by the protagonist (who has to go through some effort to do so) is something i enjoyed a lot
- in general, this is a book that LOOKS intimidating but in practice is fairly easy to follow. like i really appreciate how whenever i got to a point where it felt like the formatting was getting impenetrable, there'd a narrative or visual lifeline thrown your way.
or, to lift metaphors from the book: a fishing line to follow through the shifting hallways.
overall impression:
very engaging to read but i am once again disappointed that an otherwise skillful and thoughtful author failed so much at writing women as more than a shadow of an idea.
started: 4/28/21
ended: 5/4/21
thoughts:
(4/30/21)
-really really good use of run-on sentences
-enjoy how the narrative is deliberately confusing, but never gets so confusing it becomes obtuse or frustrating to read. appreciate how there is always a thread of narrative normalcy for the reader to follow even when the formatting goes full-on indulgent bullshit
-on the fence about how women are written but leaning towards 'yikes'
(5/4/21)
-there is exactly one fully realized woman in this book and the rest can be categorized as women that the protagonist wants to fuck, women who the protagonist doesn't feel strongly about and fucks, or his mother. mom genes and mom-related trauma are also a major factor used to explain the protagonist's more deranged moments which is always an ~EXCITING~ trope to run into when you are a woman with a great deal of both personal and professional experience with mental illness and its treatment.
- the novel's conceit of having all references to The Minotaur and the Labyrinth struck out by the original author, then restored by the protagonist (who has to go through some effort to do so) is something i enjoyed a lot
- in general, this is a book that LOOKS intimidating but in practice is fairly easy to follow. like i really appreciate how whenever i got to a point where it felt like the formatting was getting impenetrable, there'd a narrative or visual lifeline thrown your way.
or, to lift metaphors from the book: a fishing line to follow through the shifting hallways.
overall impression:
very engaging to read but i am once again disappointed that an otherwise skillful and thoughtful author failed so much at writing women as more than a shadow of an idea.
