Review: House
Book Reviews
House
Josh Simmons
Fantagraphics Books
Street: 03.07
House eerily recalls Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, not so much in its complex storytelling but in its scary incompleteness. House leaves more questions open then it answers. The story is about a mansion three kids find in the woods that they decide to go exploring in. Just as in Danielewski’s House, the abode that is supposed to be a safe haven or just a familiar place or dwelling turns out to have its own plans for the kids as they discover the many twists and turns. What is even more haunting is that there are no words, just the visceral impact of the pictures and the gradual blackness that not only takes over the story but the pages as well. Well conceived and even better executed, House is simple, direct and chilling. –Erik Lopez