Review: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
I can 100% honestly say that Piranesi is the book that rekindled a love for reading that I had thought I lost a long time ago. But what is it about this fantasy novel that I found so captivating?
Piranesi’s opening chapter is described by many as a “slow burn,” but I found it perfectly set the scene for the gripping mystery that was to follow. The vivid imagery of “The House” and the way it is mapped out in such excruciating detail, left my head spinning trying to piece it all together, however this is what really allowed me to imagine myself in the titular characters shoes. It captured the feeling of being trapped within the walls of a building so cosmically large, that any attempt to make sense of it felt in vain. But much like our own world, The House demands respect and makes you want to try and understand the chaos in its grand design, a sentiment that Piranesi also shares with the reader.
“The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.”
The plot that ensues is no less enthralling. Wandering the halls there is also “The Other” Piranesi’s only friend (at least human and living anyway), a man almost as mysterious as The House itself. Although he helps Piranesi, providing company and supplies, his true motives are unclear. When mysterious writing begins to appear, it triggers a series of discoveries, revealing more about the nature of The House and The Other and we soon learn that not everything is as we were led to believe.
The story is told from the viewpoint of Piranesi, through a series of journal entries, another brilliant decision by author Susanna Clarke. This method of storytelling further allowed me to relate to the main character, it felt as if each revelation I made, I was making alongside him. I found Piranesi extremely likeable as a character, his thoughtfulness about everything he finds in The House showed he had a level of compassion, outweighed only by his naivety. It is because of this that each trial he faced felt all the more impactful and I found myself rooting for him through all the twists and turns of his journey.
I find it extremely hard to categorize this book into one particular genre, it has elements of fantasy, mystery and even psychological thriller, but what I can say is that it does all of these elements superbly, making it hard for me to put it down for too long. Definitely worth picking up and finishing.
