Sylvia Bea

The book starts out with a guy named Johnny Truant, who is the narrator. His friend Lude tells him about an old man named Zampano who died. He lived in the same apartment building as him. Johnny looks in his apartment and finds a manuscript written by Zampano about a documentary film called The Navidson. He looks through the old man's trunk, reading papers found in there and learns some interesting stuff. Zampano's narrative is about the Navidson family. When the Navidson return home from Seattle, they realize the house had changed. What's peculiar is how the measurements from the inside of the house are different from the outside. This seems to be a mystery.
It's very intriguing how this book is written and the unusual page layout, which sets it apart from other books I've read. It was surprising at first how the story switched back and forth on Johnny's life and Zampano's report on the film. This may seem complex, but the different font/ style of the text helps make it easier for the reader to follow what's going on. It helps distinguish one topic from another. The way things are described and how the story is written, helps grab the attention of the reader. I noticed that the word "house" in blue letters appeared several times. This seemed to have caught my attention and makes me wonder if this signifies anything. Also, the riddle in Chapter IV has caught my attention as well as some foreign languages seen in the text.




Discussion questions:

1) Does the word "house" in blue letters signify anything?
2)Are the footnotes important, do they mean anything?
3) What is the significance of the riddle in Chapter IV?