A review by cody_crumley
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

“The beauty of the House is immeasurable; it’s kindness infinite”

The story of “Piranesi” that Clarke takes us on is very much like the labyrinth where the setting is; it is endless and has many twists and turns throughout the structure. The end goal is not what is important but how we get here is. 

Clarke really drives home this point by making everything the “The House” and allegory or a hidden meaning. Whether if is a reference to C.S Lewis novels “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe or “The Magician’s; if you want to deeper many there is stuff there, though I think if you are not as observant and easily distracted these deeper connections might be lost to the process of figure out what the hell is going. 

I can easily say there is no other book like it! The story is through the journals of Piranesi, who writes entries for everyday, tracking the tides of the water. 

Even the name give to the MC by us a reference to a painter by the same name who would paint labyrinth. Clarke makes every detail matter.

While I enjoyed this book, it is a tough book to get into. The onboarding is pretty much non-existent, which is going to be a make or break it point for a lot of people. If you are someone who thinks they might want to give it a shot, I would make it a priority not to read anything about the plot before opening it., you should experience it as fresh as possible without getting caught by spoilers. 

The only thing that did not “wow” was how quick the ending kinda happened. It is hard to build on. Also shout out the voices for they chose to narrate the audio, who turns out to be Chiwetel Eijofor. Does not try to draw attention to himself and does an amazing job!

While this is not a book for everyone, if you want to give it a shot and how you focus on history and literature, then make it at the top of your 2024 books to read list.