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Zee.
12-30-2008, 11:20 PM
Please read all of this, it'd be a shame for you to miss reading both.

Only Revolutions - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Revolutions

The story alternates between two different narratives: Sam and Hailey, and Hailey and Sam, wild and wayward teenagers who never grow old. With an evolving stable of cars, the teenagers move through various places and moments in time as they try to outrace History.
As the story proceeds, one can note that many events are perceptual and not certain. By reading both stories some sense can be made from this poetic styled puzzle. The words written are a vague mix of poetry and stream of consciousness prose. Both Hailey and Sam depict their feelings as well as ideas and thoughts towards one another. It is truly difficult to summarize the plot as most readers will understand the parts of story in different ways.
It can also be noted that the end very much leads into the beginning. It is possible, after finishing the book, to continue the story from the beginning.

**
His other novel, House of Leaves, is utterly terrifying and will be nothing like you've ever read before.

A house that measures to be bigger on the inside than the outside.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves

Excerpt:

In one continuous shot, Navidson, whom we never actually see, momentarily focuses on a doorway on the north wall of his living room before climbing outside of the house through a window to the east of that door, where he trips slightly in the flower bed, redirects the camera from the ground to the exterior white clapboard, then moves right, crawling back inside the house through a second window, this time to the west of that door, where we hear him grunt slightly as he knocks his head on the sill, eliciting light laughter from those in the room, presumably Karen, his brother Tom, and his friend Billy Reston - though like Navidson, they too never appear on camera-before finally returning us to the starting point, thus completely circling the doorway and so proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that insulation or siding is the only possible thing this doorway could lead to, which is when all laughter stops, as Navidson's hand appears in frame and pulls open the door, revealing a narrow black hallway at least ten feet long, prompting Navidson to re-investigate, once again leading us on another circumambulation of this strange passageway, climbing in and out of the windows, pointing the camera to where the hallway should extend but finding nothing more than his own backyard-no ten foot protuberance, just rose bushes, a muddy dart gun, and the translucent summer air - in essence an exercise in disbelief which despite his best intentions still takes Navidson back inside to that impossible hallway, until as the camera begins to move closer, threatening this time to actually enter it, Karen snaps, "Don't you dare go in there again, Navy," to which Tom adds, "Yeah, not such a hot idea," thus arresting Navidson at the threshold, though he still puts his hand inside, finally retracting and inspecting it, as if by seeing alone there might be something more to feel, Reston wanting to know if in fact his friend does sense something different, and Navidson providing the matter-of-fact answer which also serves as the conclusion, however abrupt, to this bizarre short: "It's freezing in there."

Virgil
12-30-2008, 11:56 PM
Were the novels any good? On the surface they sound like gimmicks, but that doesn't mean they're not any good. Actually the House of Leaves sounds interesting. Thanks.

Zee.
12-31-2008, 02:24 AM
Absolutely amazing. I'll never read anything like them again (house of leaves in particular)
Appreciated and respected by both lovers of literature and some of the most well regarded authors of our time, e.g Bret E Ellis
If you're reading anything else i urge you to put it down and pick house of leaves up.

Skooter
12-31-2008, 04:15 AM
My best friend will just start in House of Leaves! It was recommended by her literature teacher. I'll have to look it up now too ^^.

Zee.
12-31-2008, 06:48 AM
:] Let me know how it goes.

Dara1409
01-19-2009, 01:01 PM
I have read the house of leaves three times, and while it was a good read i dont think it was a masterpiece. origonal. but i dont think his style, just the plain old writing, has developed enough to my tastes. i got through like thirty pages on sam and haileys side each and quit. its a rough read. or it was in 2006 anyways...haha

sprinks
01-19-2009, 02:03 PM
Finally ordered House Of Leaves :). I'll have to check out the other one too! Looks like something I'd like. I saw a few other things by Danielewski when I ordered the books, but I didn't see that one. Okay yes I just looked at it on Amazon and realised it's the book someone else also recommended to me, that I was talking to you about. I'll have to go order that one too :D

mono
01-20-2009, 10:03 PM
I do not think I have heard one negative thing about House of Leaves - maybe time for me to give it a read?
Thanks, limajean! ;)

Zee.
01-20-2009, 10:11 PM
Read it, read it, read it!

WOOOOOOO!

You should all read it, and make sure you message me your thoughts my little firecrackers.

Though you have to read it very carefully. Pick out the anagrams. Analyze it thoroughly or else you'll be left with a big 'What the?'
on your forehead.