I gotta defend this one a bit. I think most people find the Johnny Truant parts of the book to be a slog, but it’s what makes the pacing effective. I couldn’t read this book quickly, I would read a Johnny Section, a house section, and take a break. Yeah, part of me would like to see more happen in the house, and it takes a bit to get really wild. Whenever I describe the book to someone I think would like it, I never give much away about the house, just that “this family is making some renovations to a house and they discover that the house is a tiny bit bigger on the inside than the outside. That’s all I can tell you.” But it’s part of the story that we can’t really have a satisfying answer about the house, it’s an ongoing endeavor. Spending more time their or writing exciting parts that don’t really serve a purpose beyond being exciting would only serve to piss readers off at the ending when we don’t get a satisfying answer about the nature of the house. It woulda been “lost” in book form. But I agree it can be a slog.