Michael Lampasona

The exploration of the House turns into a disaster, with Holloway refusing to "abort" the mission with Jed and Wax. He even ends up shooting each of them within the span of the next few days. It seems absurd that Holloway would want to stay in the area any longer, even if he is in search of fame - there are definitely ways to pursue fame that involve less danger. This makes me think that the House has some sort of influence over Holloway's attitude, even though he was predisposed to being adventurous.

Navidson, Tom, and Reston go in on the rescue mission once the knocking from the explorers is heard. This displeases Karen. Once they locate Wax and Jed, leaving the labyrinth seems impossible, and the text suggests that the characters mental state shapes the mysterious hallways.

All the meanwhile, Johnny Truant is growing more and more insane. He has a few more drug binges, one-night stands, finds out that he screams in his sleep, and even tries quitting drugs altogether to better interpret what's going on in his life. However, Johnny continues to have troubles and anxiety.

I thought these chapters were interesting, and for the first time since we started this book I actually wanted to keep reading. This is not to disrespect the book, I just felt that these chapters had more of a "pull" on me.

Here are my discussion questions:

1. What's the purpose of the various extensive lists in the chapters?
2. Could Johnny be a character in the Navidson story, even though his plot seems separate?
3. What is the purpose of the mirrored text and why does the writing style keep switching? (example: fewer words on some pages)