A review by mariebrunelm
Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Piranesi lives in the House. He is a Child of the House, and the House cares for him. Piranesi lives alone in the countless Halls of the House. Or does he?
This is a very, very charming book that is really hard to describe. It starts almost like a fairy tale, in this immense house filled with larger-than-life statues, in which Piranesi keeps a meticulous journal. But then you understand things are not as they seem and Piranesi might not be very aware of what's going on. Things that appear strange to him are in fact familiar to us, which creates a distorsion. I loved Piranesi's innocence and his sense of wonder and immense love for everything around him, making him the most likeable unreliable narrator. On the one hand I wanted to find out what everything was about, and on the other I wanted Piranesi to stay very, very safe, in a world where truth wasn't necessarily safe. I did not want this book to end and I took my time with it, which hadn't happened for some time. I feel like this book has so many reading levels and I barely scratched its surface, but I never felt like the author was looking down on me. Rather she teased me with lots of clever references to works of art and books which I didn't all get but which future re-readings will shed light on. This book is a delight to read, and I see myself re-reading it multiple times in the future. 
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