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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Creatures in the darkness; death during explorations; grotesque imagery
Language
A lot
Heavy profanity; Johnny's segments are crude and explicit
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit sexual content in Johnny's sections
Substance Use
Some
Drug and alcohol abuse by Johnny as his sanity deteriorates
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
One of the most psychologically disturbing books ever written — the horror works on the reader's own anxiety
What this book is about
A house in Virginia turns out to be slightly larger on the inside than the outside — and the rooms keep changing. Danielewski's experimental horror novel layers multiple narrators and footnotes into an avalanche of dread. At its center is The Navidson Record, a documentary about the impossible house; surrounding it is the story of Johnny Truant, who found the account and is losing his mind reading it.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extreme psychological horror designed to disturb readers
Explicit sexual content and drug use
Violence and death in the house
The meta-textual nature makes the fear feel personal
Reader Verification
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