Piranesi Review

 Susanna Clarke’s ‘Piranesi’ has been on my list for a while now, but for one reason or another, I have not read it until recently. I had an idea that it was a beautifully written, but at times confusing novel. After reading it, I can confirm that this idea still holds true. If you had asked me to tell you what it is about, I could not. I could however inform you that this is one of the most human and beautifully written novels I have read in a while. The plot is confusing but ultimately, not the most important. I am sure I have not understood all the themes and messages Clarke weaved into her story, but I did thoroughly enjoy it.

Piranesi, the main character and the narrator, lives in an impossibly large house with seemingly magical abilities. He is an expert on the house, masterfully keeping notes of its many rooms, statuses and the inhabitants, both dead and alive. The House houses an ocean (I did tell you it was impossibly large) and a huge part of Piranesi’s day is keeping track of tides to make sure they are not a danger to him. The only other human inhabitant of the House at the start of the novel is the Other, a man that seemingly has way more material possessions than Piranesi and is doing some kind of research. Spoiler alert, this man is a master manipulator and gaslighter from the start, but plays an important role in the consequent events of the novel. As the story progresses, Piranesi starts realizing that things are not what they seem as he starts seeing evidence of another person in the House. 
Piranesi as a character is almost comically and frustratingly innocent with infinite trust and tolerance. As the story progresses, more and more clues that something is not quite right start showing up and as a reader I often felt like the book is giving me breadcrumbs to follow, and to follow Piranesi as he is trying to figure it out. His character has very childlike characteristics as he is trying to make sense of things. This search was incredibly entertaining to read and follow Piranesi in this quest. At the start, the style of writing through Piranesi’s journal entries took a while to get used to, but I was able to enjoy it.
Clarke’s magnificent style is what really makes this novel the masterpiece I believe it is. While reading it, I could feel the claustrophobia and the vastness of the House at the same time. The descriptive and at times repetitive nature of her style may not suit every reader and I have seen reviewers that did not finish the novel because of it. I can absolutely understand it, as this novel does require some patience and getting used to. However, I believe that it would be a huge waste to give up on it before the big mystery starts getting revealed.

Speaking of the mystery,although it was expertly slowly introduced, do not expect the ending to be a typical ending of a mystery novel. Without spoiling too much, the plot is related to a convoluted theory of parallel worlds and ancient knowledge. True identities do get revealed and the story does make sense, but the overall explanation of the House, Piranesi and other characters on a deeper level are left to the reader to decipher and fully understand. I am left with numerous questions about the meaning of many elements and details of the story I am still trying to understand, two weeks after finishing the story. This does not diminish or take away from the story, quite the opposite actually. I cannot remember the last time a book has stayed with me for this long.

This is one of the first books since my University days where I had to google ‘Piranesi explained’ or ‘Piranesi, metaphor for mental health’ and still did not feel like I am truly grasping it all. It is an utterly confusing, but beautiful and complex narrative of loneliness, trust, mental health wrapped up in myths, legends and magical realism. Clarke is a wonderful author who can make you believe that there indeed is a House that can house an ocean, full of giant and small statuses, full of life. I am not sure how to reach it or whether it exists physically or just in our minds. There are many things I am not sure about with this book, but I am interested to learn more. Maybe upon second reading, knowing the ending, the intricacies will be clearer and more accessible to me.
‘Piranesi’ won a bunch of awards for very good reasons and it was the first book by Susanna Clarke I have read, but it definitely will not be my last. I cannot get over the skill and the mastery of language and style in this novel and I would love some more magic in my life. This book is only my second 5 star review this year, the first one being R. F. Kuang’s ‘Yellowface’.
Did you read ‘Piranesi’? Did you read Clarke’s other novels? Do you have your own theories of what it all represents? Let me know!

source: wikipedia.com