Daniel Kehlmann

Now a Major Motion Picture From the internationally bestselling author of Measuring the World and F, an eerie and supernatural tale of a writer's emotional collapse A screenwriter, his wife, and their four-year old daughter rent a house in the mountains of Germany, but something isn’t right. As he toils on a sequel to his most successful movie, the screenwriter notices that rooms aren’t where he remembers them—and finds in his notebook words that are not his own.

A Novel

You Should Have Left

Was okay. I don’t love the different universes that can exist as traps for the soul forever but I love silent hill so. 

Molly M

A thrilling exploration of psychological disturbance and fear from the bestselling and prize-winning author of Measuring the World. *Now a major film starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried* On retreat in the wintry Alps with his family, a writer is optimistic about completing the sequel to his breakthrough film. Nothing to disturb him except the wind whispering around their glassy house. The perfect place to focus. Intruding on that peace of mind, the demands of his four-year-old daughter splinter open long-simmering arguments with his wife. I love her, he writes in the notebook intended for his script. Why do we fight all the time? Guilt and expectation strain at his concentration, and strain, too, at the walls of the house. They warp under his watch; at night, looking through the window, he sees impossible reflections on the snow outside. Then the words start to appear in his notebook; the words he didn't write. Familiar and forbidding by turns, this is an electrifying experiment in form by one of Europe's boldest writers. The ordinary struggles of a marriage transform, in Kehlmann's hands, into a twisted fable that stays darkly in the mind.

now a major motion picture

Tobias V. Langhoff

Short and sweet. I read this because of the upcoming film adaptation, which intrigued me because it seems inspired by House of Leaves. The novella didn't really give that impression, though, although of course both works are about Lovecraftian houses with non-euclidean geometry.

From the internationally best-selling author of Measuring the World and F, an eerie and supernatural tale of a writer's emotional collapse "It is fitting that I'm beginning a new notebook up here. New surroundings and new ideas, a new beginning. Fresh air." This passage is from the first entry of a journal kept by the narrator of Daniel Kehlmann's spellbinding new novel. It is the record of the seven days that he, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter spend in a house they have rented in the mountains of Germany--a house that thwarts the expectations of the narrator's recollection and seems to defy the very laws of physics. He is eager to finish a screenplay for a sequel to the movie that launched his career, but something he cannot explain is undermining his convictions and confidence, a process he is recording in this account of the uncanny events that unfold as he tries to understand what, exactly, is happening around him--and within him.

“I pulled up one of the colorful children’s chairs, sat down, breathed heavily, and thought with a clarity as if someone else were speaking to me: You should have left. Now it’s too late.”

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What a strange little book with strange jumps in the timeline, in ambiance, in the train of thought, in context. The creepy sneaks in almost undetected, masked by the mundane. The story somehow loops in around itself within the notes scribbled by the screenwriter, it branches out into the dark corners before you realize you are back to where you started. It really has the feeling of being in a nightmare, when you are aware that what you are seeing is a nightmare but you cannot wake up.
With echoes of House of Leaves and The Shining within its pages, this was a quick and creepy read to set the tension up in Spooktober.

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3.5/5

Cody Degen

Geoffrey Froggatt

This book is a record of the seven days that an author, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter spend in a house they have rented in the mountains of Germany a house that thwarts the expectations of his recollection and seems to defy the very laws of physics. The narrator is eager to finish a screenplay, entitled Marriage, for a sequel to the movie that launched his career, but something he cannot explain is undermining his convictions and confidence, a process he is recording in this account of the uncanny events that unfold as he tries to understand what, exactly, is happening around him and in himself. Content warning for mental illness and toxic relationships. A fantastic psychological bending story. Being a short read, the aspect of an unreliable narrator changes the tone of the book entirely. It is confusing and difficult to understand at times, but in my opinion that only adds to the subject. I loved it, the writer did exceptionally well. I loved the prose and the symbolism produced, despite the brevity. I liked how they introduced the odd architecture of the house, it felt pretty natural and smooth to the narrative. I never saw the movie so I cannot say how it holds up against a different medium, but I do plan on watching it. I recommend this book for readers who love an unreliable narrator.

Kairos

Short, bizarre, suffocating and weird. I especially liked the ruler concept. It’s such a small appearance in the story but it describes everything wrong with that house. Now I need to watch the movie.

Captivating and quick horror read. I love metaphysical haunted houses.

Isabella Chiara Vicco 

Zoë Schaefer

ooOOooOohhh Daniel Kehlmann you mesSED ME UP

Lauren Attaway

An interesting if confusing concept that doesn't outstay it's welcome.

Kelsey Holtaway

#fortnightfrights “author from mainland Europe” and “translated piece”

That was...odd. I think i enjoyed it and all it’s weirdness. This was definitely unsettling, and the concept is interesting, writing reminds me of 1970s horror writing, however, all said, I’m not sure the details of this one will stick with me in the long run.

Halsted Mencotti Bernard

This is a quick, creepy read that plays with form and language a bit to build tension. I enjoyed that part but thought it could have done more. Still, this was a fun dip into scary-story season!

You Should Have Left A Novel

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