Apathy Jack writes:

Normally when I come across an intelligent student who I feel like breaking, I just lend them Cruddy. Not with the new one though. With her I skipped over the beginner course in mental-scarification and went straight to The Corrections.

I figured I'd follow it up with the Manhatten Project of literary pretension: House of Leaves. Realising that I don't actually own it, I spent a few weekends scouring every bookshop I could think of, to no avail.

Acting on a tip from my friend Lily Petals, I tried the Hard To Find Bookshop, where I was disdainfully informed that they didn't have a copy - what they had was a long waiting list, because every hipster wanted one. They recommended I order through Borders.

Going to Borders, the helpful bookdrone looked on their system, and discovered that no country in their network has any available to import. She recommended I try the Hard To Find Bookshop.

On the one hand, I'm appalled at how hard it is to be a pretentious bibliowanker these days, but on the other hand, I think I'd be faintly disappointed if a book as harrowing as this one just presented itself to me on the first look - going through hell to track it down is kind of a good House of Leaves meta-experience...