Michael Lampasona

After Karen's scream, the novel goes into a long explanation about echoes. This starts with the mythological significance of echoes and then progresses into their scientific explanation. At first I did not see why echoes were explained in depth, but eventually the book reveals that echoes are important, not only because of Zampano's blindness, but also because of the way Navidson hears his echoes in the hallway (when he almost gets lost).

Later on, the story moves how the pets were able to make it from the mystery hallway to the backyard, meanwhile Navidson had almost got lost in it. Navidson's and Karen's relationship continues to be strained, mainly because Karen does not want him to go near the hallway. This is due to her extreme claustrophobia. Later on, the professionals are sent to explore the house and explorations just lead to more fear regarding the house.

I have not discussed Johnny's part of the story in these chapters. He mostly discusses his drug binges, his odd fearful encounters which feel real and lead him with real scars, and continues in depth about his obsession with Thumper. I find his commentary adds to the novel, however I certainly do not like certain sections (such as the explanation about cats), which were very hard to read.

So here's my discussion questions...

1. Why do the animals have a different reaction to the hallway?
2. What caused Karen's transformation from outgoing to extremely introverted when she was young?
3. Is the repetitive list of photographers pointless?
4. What happened during the exploration of the hallway by the professionals?