A review by maeverose
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is one of those books that I like more in hindsight after having read it. It has such cool themes and concepts, but while reading it I was a bit bored at times.

My favorite part of the book is actually the beginning when things are still confusing and strange and you’re kinda just going along for the ride. I loved the mystery of not knowing what was going on. I loved the world building of the House. Such a cool setting. The aesthetics of this book as well as Piranesi as a character are probably it’s strongest features imo. The actual mystery reveal fell flat for me.
SpoilerI liked that it was actually fantasy and not that he was in a coma or something like I thought it might end up being, but idk it just wasn’t as cool as the rest of the book to me. There were also some homophobic insinuations about a specific character that I didn’t like. His being gay was always mentioned in tandem with crimes he committed. And at the end it almost seemed to imply that Piranesi had DID and a new alter had split off, but DID can only be caused by childhood trauma not trauma as an adult, so that kinda irked me. But it never gives him a diagnosis so it could totally just be that he’s ‘generally traumatized’ and that was how the author chose to interpret it, idk.
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