Piranesi

by Susanna Clarke

'Just read Susanna Clarke's extraordinary Piranesi ... Like nothing else' Justine Jordan, Guardian


The long-awaited return from the author of the multi-million copy bestselling Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Piranesi lives in the House.
Perhaps he always has.

In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls.

On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food and waterlilies to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.

Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and
what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims?

Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous.

The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite

'A book to look out for in 2020' - Guardian, Observer, Sunday Times, Express, SFX

'Piranesi astonished me. It is a miraculous and luminous feat of storytelling, at once a gripping mystery, an adventure through a brilliant new fantasy world, and a deep meditation on the human condition: feeling lost, and being found. I already want to be back in its haunting and beautiful halls!' MADELINE MILLER

'What a world Susanna Clarke conjures into being, what a tick-tock-tick-tock of reveals, what a pure protagonist, what a morally squalid supporting cast, what beauty, tension and restraint, and what a pitch-perfect ending. Piranesi is an exquisite puzzle-box far, far bigger on the inside than it is on the outside' DAVID MITCHELL

'Piranesi is a gorgeous, spellbinding mystery that gently unravels page by page. Precisely the sort of book that I love wordlessly handing to someone so they can have the pleasure of uncovering its secrets for themselves. This book is a treasure, washed up upon a forgotten shore, waiting to be discovered' ERIN MORGENSTERN

• ISBN10: 163557563X
• ISBN13: 9781635575637
• Publish Date: 15 September 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
A man lives in an immense House populated mainly by statues, and whose top level is full of clouds, while the bottom level is full of water. There is only one other living person - at first.

Review
I tried Susanna Clarke’s first big success, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but wasn’t really drawn in; the same with the filmed version of it. However, when I read reviews of Piranesi, the descriptions intrigued me. I suppose I’ve come out now somewhere in the middle.

The actuality of Piranesi didn’t quite match what I thought I recalled from the reviews – I had understood there to more traveling through a labyrinth involved, and less human contact. In fact, though, while there is a possibly endless labyrinth, most of the action takes place in a few rooms or “Halls” of it. And the narrator is in contact with another person from near the start. That said, the setup is still intriguing.

Clarke treads dangerously close to one of the oldest and most threadbare tropes of speculative fiction, but gradually addresses it, if not head on, then obliquely and for a long period – enough that my initial concern about the story’s direction faded away. The result, for much of the book, is effective, though I found the end a little underwhelming.

Equally, I thought that Clarke had created an intriguing setting in the House, but then largely ignored it to focus on the narrator. It’s not a bad decision, but in a book this short (158 pages for me), I felt there was much more she could have done to explore the location the characters spend so much time discussing – what it is, how it works, what it’s for, why it’s shaped as it is. Much of the discussion is about where knowledge goes and how it shapes its surroundings, but the former is never really addressed.

All in all, an interesting book, and a quick, engaging read, but not one that necessarily makes me a fan of Clarke’s work. I’d be willing to try again, for the right premise, but wouldn’t automatically buy her next book.

I felt super lost up until ~30% ish of this book until the mystery finally started unfolding. What a nice read!

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Bizarre and beautiful, Piranesi is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Susanna Clarke crafts an unforgettable tale of solitude, loss, and finding oneself in unexpected ways. While it was difficult to predict where the story was going (or indeed, where it started), I was swept away by it, and happily wandered the corridors of this labyrinthine book.

Piranesi has always lived in the House. At least, he thinks so. A flooded place filled with statues, birds, and the ever-present tides, he is mostly content. However, he is alone, aside from the Other. The Other is a mysterious figure whom Piranesi has agreed to look for a Great Knowledge with. What follows this simple premise is something new and entirely unique.

I can’t tell you much about the plot because I’m honestly still going through things in my mind. I would say that it’s convoluted, but the opposite is true. There are very few answers given throughout the book, making my imagination work overtime to fill in gaps in the narrative. Who is Piranesi? Who is the Other? What and where is the House?

As with the rest of Piranesi, the people are intentionally vague. A picture unfolds slowly, and little details are fleshed out, revealing amazingly deep characters. I honestly have no idea how Susanna Clarke was able to bring so much to life with so few words. The book is told almost entirely through journal entries, so physical descriptions of the characters were understandably few and far between. Normally that would really irk me, but I found that a character’s physical description matters much less in Piranesi than in other books I’ve read.

In a complete turnabout from the characters, there was a plethora of descriptions surrounding the House. It was done so well that I’m still half-convinced I’ve been there. I could hear the bird wings. I could smell the salt water. I could feel bits of seaweed in between my toes. It was astounding. To read this book is to become fully immersed in a different, introspective world.

It is absolutely impossible for me to compare this book to any other, including the author’s previous book. It stands alone and, while it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, I’m planning to revisit it soon. I highly recommend Piranesi to readers who appreciate beautiful prose, who like open-ended books, and who want to be swept away.
https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.home.blog/2020/11/06/piranesi-by-susanna-clarke/

[Quirky Cat]

Susanna Clarke, most famous for her Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell novel, is back with a whole new world. Piranesi is a standalone novel of breathtaking proportions.

Piranesi is not his name, but it is what he goes by in the House. The House is not truly a House, but a labyrinthine setup of rooms. They are full of statues and memories, with the tides and other elements doing as they will.

Piranesi would be alone in this world, if not for The Other. The Other is a man who Piranesi meets with regularly, to research and understand this great House, and the Great and Secret Knowledge it contains. That is, until something happens in this world, in the House, that changes everything.

“The House is valuable because it is the House. It is enough in and of Itself. It is not the means to an end.”

Holy cow. Can I go back in time, please? Just so I can read Piranesi for the first time again. That's all I want. Seriously though, I adored Piranesi and every moment and emotion that it brought with it.

This was a truly wonderful tale. It's so beautiful and creative, while also being full of intrigue, mystery, and more than a fair share of danger. This was my first novel I've read by Susanna Clarke, but if the rest of her novels are like this, consider me sold on her work!

“Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not.”

I was truly enchanted by Piranesi. All of the details, the world, Piranesi himself. Everything. It was a captivating tale, one that left so much room for thought and questions. It was fascinating, seeing how this world connected to the real world – and the very real mystery that Piranesi didn't know he was a part of.

Clarke's writing was outstanding, leaving nothing to be desired, except maybe a few hundred more chapters. But that's probably just me being greedy, as I'm clearly enraptured by this world. I don't know what the odds are about seeing more stories set here, but I would love nothing more than that.

The way the story unfolded was an absolute treasure. Right away, it's clear that something is wrong. And over the course of the novel, more and more hints come out, until the truth is staring straight down at Piranesi, and the reader, by proxy. It was brilliantly done. Now I can't wait to see what Clarke comes up with next (not to mention, I clearly have to check out her other works!).

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[celinenyx]

Utterly baffling at first, but becomes such a lush delight.

[Kevin Costain]

Piranesi: This book was just incredible. I couldn’t put it down and read it in a day. My full thoughts- > http://url.cwl.cc/zanan