julie Morvitz

When I first started reading House of Leaves, I was confused as to whether the narration was all part of the movie, or whether Johnny was speaking. As I continued reading, I found it interesting that Johnny was speaking through the footnotes, which seem to be an important part of the reading. This is unlike many other books, where most people barely notice the footnotes. I also found it interesting that The Navidson Record is actually a film that is being described in writing, which is unusual to see.

After reading the inside flap of the book, I expected the house’s size to be strange from the moment the family moved in. Having the family come back from vacation only to find their house different than it was before is an interesting way to bring this twist into the plot.

Questions

1. Why are there so many references to the word “blue”, and why is every time “house” is mentioned, it is printed in blue?

2. Is there significance to the number ¼ or 5/16? In other words, why not make the house 2 inches different on the inside than on the outside?

3. What happens to Navidson’s family when he gets old?