History YMMV / HouseOfLeaves

* HypeBacklash: It's one of the internet's most recommended horror novels, and gets a ton of love and praise from its fans as being the scariest piece of literature ever. However, the heavily experimental structure of the book and the constant footnotes and citations leave some readers completely removed from the sense of horror, and many find it to be smug, pretentious, and ineffective, [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible if it's comprehensible at all]].

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: For one thing, just the formatting (that Danielewski put much effort in) alone is chaotic and disorientating--deliberately, because the book is supposed to be a labyrinth just like the [[EldritchLocation house]] itself is. Combined with the [[UnreliableNarrator Unreliable Narrators]], the copious amounts of untranslated foreign-language text, and the fact that much of the book is open to many different interpretations, it can be a confusing read.

** {{Invoked}} when the book lists three separate reasons as to why Navidson returned to the [[EldritchLocation house]]: The Kellog-Antwerk Claim posits that Navidson returned to "reclaim" the [[MalevolentArchitecture house]] as his property; the Bister-Friden-Josephson Criteria claims that he became TheAtoner and wanted some form of redemption for the deaths [[spoiler: his brother, Delial, and to a lesser extent Leeder and Roberts]]; and finally the Haven-Slocum Theory, which outlines that Navidson's return was his attempt to calm the [[AlienGeometries house]] to end both his bad dreams and the long-term physical and psychological impact it had on the nine or so others who had entered the [[EldritchLocation house]] and survived.

* FriendlyFandoms: With ''Film{{Skinamarink}}'', due to the film's similar premise and tone to ''The Navidson Record''. It's gotten to the point where some fans have proclaimed ''Skinamarink'' as the closest thing this book will ever come to having a proper film adaptation.

* UncannyValley: The labyrinth evokes this on a deep level. It's so starkly lacking in identity, apparent purpose, and basic adherence to the laws of physics while also clearly resembling something made by human hands that one can't help but be mystified and unsettled. This quality is, naturally, analyzed by Zampanó, complete with the Heidegger quote that defined the word "uncanny" to begin with.

* ParanoiaFuel: This book '''will''' make you terrified of the dark, or better yet, wondering what's behind you. Probably the most infamous part is Chapter 9, which already is taken over by Johnny's side notes and the inclusion of the red crossed out text. But then it goes into overdrive with the chapter becoming ''a literal labyrinth'' with a blue box on each page before eventually ending with..:
---> ''[[NothingIsScarier Picture that in your dreams.]]''

** The mere fact that [[RealPersonCameo Harvey Weinstein]] is mentioned to have a hand in getting ''The Navidson Record'' published. When the book was published in 2000 he was just another Hollywood producer, but after #MeToo happened in the 2010's...

** Not a single character in the book that isn't subject to this, which [[InvertedTrope seems to be the point of the entire book anyway]], considering it's one of Danielewski's fortes. The biggest example has to be Johnny Truant himself. Does he lie to the audience, [[spoiler:such as when he admits making up a story about recovering because of two friends]], or does he lie to ''himself'', breaking the illusion simply because of how broken he is?

** Holloway Roberts starts off as an unpleasant ControlFreak and progresses to an AxCrazy murderer, but he's covering up for a lifetime of depression and suicidal ideations and his ultimate fate is genuinely crushing.

** Seraphina. She loses her husband and can't handle that emotionally, so she's put in an asylum, away from her son. The institution is a hellhole where she's repeatedly raped and abused (though this might also be her imagination... remember that to her it still is real). She tries to let her son know of the abuse in her letters, but he doesn't visit her, or maybe doesn't even write back.

** Is Holloway truly villainous, or was he merely driven mad by the House? Was his [[spoiler: suicide out of fear of the minotaur, or guilt from having murdered his friend Jed?]]
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Johnny's digressions about his and Lude's sexual exploits can seem pointless. They come out of nowhere and don't have any bearing on the story.

* HarsherInHindsight: Very early in the story (page 10 or 11), Navy throws away a bit of Karen's hair that's stuck in a brush, and Karen jokingly states that she'll go bald one day and need that hair. [[spoiler: In the story's epilogue, she's in remission from breast cancer.]]
** The mere fact that [[RealPersonCameo Harvey Weinstein]] was mentioned to have a hand in getting ''The Navidson Record,'' published. Hardly any reader in 2000 would have heard of him, but after #MeToo took off...

** {{Invoked}} when the book lists three separate reasons as to why Navidson returned to the [[EldritchLocation house]]: The Kellog-Antwerk Claim posits that Navidson returned to "reclaim" the [[MalevolentArchitecture house]] as his property; the Bister-Friden-Josephson Criteria claims that he became TheAtoner and wanted some form of redemption for the deaths [[spoiler: his brother, Delial, and to a lesser extent Leeder and Roberts]]; and finally the Haven-Slocum Theory, which outlines that Navidson's return was his attempt to calm the [[AlienGeometries house]] to end both his bad dreams and the long-term physical and psychological impact it had on the nine or so others who had entered the house and survived.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The book can be seen as a straight use and alternatively as a parody, to the point that it features fictitious quotes from real intellectuals like Harold Bloom and Camille Paglia speculating about the meaning of the House.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: For one thing, just the formatting (that Danielewski put much effort in) alone is chaotic and disorientating--deliberately, because the book is supposed to be a labyrinth just like the House itself is. Combined with the [[UnreliableNarrator Unreliable Narrators]], the copious amounts of untranslated foreign-language text, and the fact that much of the book is open to many different interpretations, it can be a confusing read.

** Johnny. His SanitySlippage and increasing obsession with the book/House cause him to lose his job and home and descend into drug addiction. There seems a spot of hope at the end of the book when he tells he's recovered, [[spoiler:but then turns out he made that up]]. By the end he's a BrokenBird. And all of this story happens after he had a broken childhood, with his father having died, his mother being put in an asylum, and abusive stepparents. It's more depressing that [[spoiler: compared to the Navidsons, we don't know what becomes of Johnny aside from interpretations...]]
** Seraphina. She loses her husband and can't handle that emotionally, so she's put in an asylum, away from her son. The institution is a hellhole where she's repeatedly raped and abused (though this might also be her imagination... remember that to her it still is real). She tries to let her son know of the abuse in her letters, but he doesn't visit her, or mabye doesn't even write back.
** The Navidsons as a whole are a family of woobies: Will struggles with trying to be with his family but his obsession with capturing everything strains it, Karen suffers from self esteem issues [[spoiler: caused by a traumatic rape and a fear of claustrophobia]], and Chad and Daisy become {{Creepy Child}}ren due to effects the House have on them.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Not a single character in the book that isn't subject to this, which [[InvertedTrope seems to be the point of the entire book anyway]], considering it's one of Danielewski's fortes. The biggest example has to be Johnny Truant himself. Does he lie to the audience, [[spoiler:such as when he admits making up a story about recovering because of two friends]], or does he lie to ''himself'', breaking the illusion simply because of how broken he is?

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Not a single character in the book that isn't subject to this, which [[InvertedTrope seemed to be the point of the entire book anyway]], considering Danielewski's forte, although the biggest example has to be Johnny Turant himself. Does he lie to the audience [[spoiler: such as making up a story about recovering because of two friends]] or does he lie to himself and breaks the illusion simply because of how broke he is?

** Johnny. His SanitySlippage and increasing obsession with the book/House cause him to lose his job and home and descend into drug addiction. There seems a spot of hope at the end of the book when he tells he's recovered, [[spoiler:but then turns out he made that up]]. By the end he's a BrokenBird. And all of this story happens after he had a broken childhood, with his father having died, his mother being put in an asylum, and abusive stepparents.

%%ZCE * AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Not a single character in the book that isn't subject to this, which [[InvertedTrope seemed to be the point of the entire book anyway]], considering Danielewski's forte.

%%ZCE * ParanoiaFuel: This book '''will''' make you terrified of the dark, or better yet, wondering what's behind you.
%%ZCE --> ''[[NothingIsScarier Picture that in your dreams.]]''

%%ZCE * EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The book can be seen as a straight use and alternatively as a parody.

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: For one thing, just the formatting (that Danielewski put much effort in) alone is chaotic and disorientating--deliberately, because the book is supposed to be a labyrinth just like the House itself is. Combined with the {{UnreliableNarrator}}s, the copious amounts of untranslated foreign-language text, and the fact that much of the book is open to many different interpretations, it can be a confusing read.