Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" Trivia Quiz | Literature

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the original colour version of the book, one word throughout the book appears in blue print and in the ordinary print version the same word is fainter than the rest of the print. Translations to other languages treated the equivalent word in the same way. What is that word?

Answer: House

The house is definitely the star in this book.

In the colour version of the book, "house" is printed in blue. The change of print colour even applies to the publisher, Random House. To emphasise the star of the book, "house" appears grey, IE fainter, in non-colourised prints. Another anomaly is that when the words "The Minotaur" appear, they are always struck through.

The original blue colour was chosen by the author because of the blue screen technology used in filming where an actor works in a blue area and the scenery is added later. Do the humans in the book ever understand the star?

2. The main story is about Karen, an ex-model, and Will, a famous photographer, moving in to a small old house in the country with their two children. What are the children's names?

Answer: Chad and Daisy

Tom is Will's fraternal twin. Pelafina is Johnny's mother. Jed and Kirby (Wax) are two of the men who explore the house. Tom and Jerry are two of my favourite cartoon characters.

Daisy is five years old and Chad is eight when they first move to the house in the Virginia countryside.

3. Who or what is "Thumper"?

Answer: A stripper that Johnny falls in love with

Johnny Truant, while transcribing the notes of an old man, intermingles his own story throughout. "Thumper" is the name that he gives to a client because of one of her tattoos. The reader does not discover the real name of the lady, although Johnny eventually does.

4. Johnny Truant, who relates his own story alongside that of Karen and Will's, works in a Tattoo Parlour. What is he best at?

Answer: Building needle groups

Building needle groups involves aligning several needles and soldering them together, usually in odd numbered groups. This means that a tattoo can be finished quicker.

Johnny enjoys this mundane task and it helps to concentrate his mind. The precision needed for the task is extended to his own life story and the deciphering of the old man's notes on "The Navidson Record". In the colour print of the book, the ink colours are used in the print to emphasise different characters.

5. Although the exterior of their home in the country remains the same, the same cannot be said for the interior. One example is that new doorways appear. Where does one NOT appear?

Answer: Laundry room

The first door to appear is the one in the parent's bedroom. When opened there is a small, cold and very dark cupboard space. The second door, just a stride away, opens into the children's bedroom. The interior of the house is measured and is a tiny bit longer than the exterior.

When books suddenly fall from a shelf that used to fit snugly against a wall, suspicions are confirmed and the hunt for an explanation is on!

6. At one point I got sidetracked and started reading the letters to Johnny from his mother. She wrote mostly in English, but liberally sprinkled them with 'bon mots' in other languages. Which of the following did she NOT use?

Answer: Hieroglyphs

Johnny's mother was placed in The Three Attics Whalestoe Institute by his father when Johnny was seven. She remained there for the remainder of her life. The Whalestoe is a secure mental institution.

The few letters included in the book show the mental ups and downs of Johnny's mother, and are full of her love for her son. Her intelligence shines throughout, contrasting with the awful periods of decline.

7. Billy Reston is part of the investigation. He is an old friend of Will's from when they were both visiting India. Will took the photograph that shows Billy doing WHAT for the last time?

Answer: Running

Will was in the right place at the right time and captured Billy running from the accidentally-severed electricity cable that moments later fell and paralysed him from the waist down. Billy has a copy of the photograph on his study wall to stop the curious asking why he is confined to a wheelchair. The photograph was the beginning of their friendship.

8. There is a striking similarity between this book and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. What is it?

Answer: The footnotes are part of the story

There are several different type faces used throughout the book so that the various threads can mostly be separated. Johnny's story is in the footnotes which often spread to whole pages.

Anne Danielewski recorded the album "Haunted" at the same time as the book was being written. The book and album influenced each other.

The last third of the second edition of "House of Leaves" is appendices and includes some of the letters written by Johnny's mother. All of her letters are in the companion book, "The Whalestoe Letters".

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" started out as a comedy series on BBC Radio where the actor Peter Jones provided the "voice of the book". In the books that followed, these were placed as footnotes.

9. Will's brother dies after saving his niece's life.

Answer: True

Daisy is heard screaming and her uncle rushes in to save her life, but the house is fighting back. Tom manages to break a window and uses his strength to thrust the child through it. Unfortunately, the house senses his weakness and he is swallowed whole.

10. Will disappears and claustrophobic Karen overcomes her fears to follow and find him barely alive. The house has one last trick though. What does the house do?

Answer: It dissolves around them

Karen finds Will naked and frightened. Her flashlight hurts his eyes, so she turns it off. As Karen cradles Will in the dark, the house start to shimmer and then completely disappears around them.

Source: Author zippolover

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Mark Z. Danielewski's "House of Leaves" Quiz

Several, often conflicting, stories are intertwined in the strange tale of a house that bites! How much do you know, or want to know, about it? Here are ten random questions about the book. Good Luck!

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>