House of Leaves — Book Club Questions & Discussion Guide

A tiered set of prompts for reading groups and classes, organized by spoiler level. Use them alongside our study & annotation guide, themes hub, and layout & typography notes.

Themes hub Characters Entities Quotes Reading order Buy House of Leaves

Spoiler legend

No spoilers Light spoilers (early/mid) Full spoilers (late/appendices)

Tip: Decide up front which tier your group will use each session. Our reading schedule pairs well with these tiers.

Non-spoiler warm-ups

How does the book’s design change how you read?

No spoilers
+−
Consider line length, narrow columns, rotated text. Did you preview page geometry before reading? See layout & typography.

Facilitator note: Invite quick “show & tell” of a page that altered pace or emotion.

Which voice first hooked you—Zampanò, Johnny, or the film layer?

No spoilers
+−
How did typography or footnote placement signal whose voice you were in? What cues helped you confirm the speaker?

Facilitator note: Two-bookmark method: main text & footnotes. See how to read.

Light spoilers (early & mid-book)

What counts as “evidence” in the world of the book?

Light spoilers
+−
Contrast camera footage, transcripts, citations, and hearsay. When you doubt a claim, what do you check first?

Link: Media, truth, evidence · The Navidson Record

How do rooms and corridors shape intimacy at home?

Light spoilers
+−
Discuss physical distance vs. emotional distance. Where does the page look sparse or compressed when relationships strain?

Link: Home, intimacy, alienation · The House

Where do you see labyrinth signals without saying “maze”?

Light spoilers
+−
Paths, centers, watchers, threads—track phrasing and page motion that imply a labyrinth.

Link: Labyrinth & Minotaur · Layout cues

Full spoilers (late chapters & appendices)

How do late revelations reframe earlier notes?

Full spoilers
+−
Pick one echo (a line, measurement, date) that reads differently after the appendices. What does it change about credibility?

Link: Appendices explained · Unreliable narration

Where does the book ask you to choose between readings?

Full spoilers
+−
Discuss moments with competing measurements/edits. What’s your rule for resolving contradictions?

Link: Quotes & commentary · Study workflow

If you had to argue the book’s “center,” what would it be?

Full spoilers
+−
Make the strongest case for one center (thematic, formal, emotional). What evidence supports it, and what resists it?

Link: Themes hub · Characters · Entities

Optional activities

Page geometry share

Each member brings one page whose form changed meaning. Explain how line length, rotation, or whitespace shaped tone.

Evidence audit

Pick a contested claim and list every piece of evidence for/against it. Tag sources as footage, transcript, note, exhibit, hearsay.

Planning a multi-week read? Download our reading schedule (PDF).

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