52 pages 1 hour read

Mark Z. Danielewski

House Of Leaves

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2000

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Chapters 13-16

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 13 Summary

The first section of Chapter 13, “The Wait,” begins from the perspective of the school teacher, Teppet Brookes. She observes both Chad and Daisy’s drawings of their house and suspects abuse. Chad’s picture consists of a “black square filling ninety percent of the page” and “marauding creatures” in the margins (313). Daisy’s drawing contains a black-and-blue box with the same wolves, tigers, and dragons as Chad’s. When Chad and Daisy miss school, Brookes drives to their house and comes in to witness the “slaughterhouse” of the aftermath of the rescue mission (314).

A sheriff comes to investigate but quickly gives up after entering the hallway. Tom and Billy go back into the hallway to investigate but find it terminates only thirty feet in. Tom drinks heavily over the next several days, goes in again, and finds the hallway is now only ten feet long. On the morning of the fifth day, Will emerges from the hallway. Karen tells him that she is leaving. Wax eventually recovers from his injuries.

In the second section, “Holloway,” Zampanò examines Holloway’s “madness” (323). He provides notes from Holloway’s former psychiatrist, Nancy Tobe, detailing Holloway’s depression and suicidal ideations.