(I asked for advice on how to write a review, and some of you gave me advice. Using what you taught me, here is my review of Piranesi.)
Fantasy books typically come in a spectrum. You have the epic and high fantasy with their huge battles and world-shattering stakes, with a large cast of characters all working together to save the day. Then on the other end you have fantasy books like Piranesi. Quiet, introspective, you know the type. This is like a literary fiction book with a fantasy twist.
CONCEPT
A man, Piranesi, lives in an endless house, where every room is like a hall in a classic museum. The walls are lined with massive statues, lower floors are floodded in an endless ocean, and aside from himself only one other person lives there, a man simply known as The Other. Piranesi knows nothing other than this endless house, and explores it thuroughly, until a mystery leaves him questioning what he knows.
WORLDBUILDING
The world is explored through journal entries, giving an intimate voice to every new discovery. Together with Piranesi, the reader discovers this world in all of its mystery and delight. By the end of the book, the house has not been exhaustively explored, leaving behind the sense of wonder of its halls, while keeping the admiration for what's been explored.
CHARACTERS
Piranesi is both youthful, and highly intelligent. His curiosity is needed to help the story progress. I will say though, sometimes he does come off as a little naive, but I suppose his life has justified that trait.
The Other is a mystery, but works as a more matter-of-fact, realistic counter to Piranesi.
PLOT
The first half of the story is Piranesi exploring the house, and the second half is solving a mystery. There's a good sense of rising tension as the mystery unfolds.
THEMES
There are many themes to explore in this story, but the one that stood out most to me personally is the theme of Identity. Without spoilers, what you know shapes who you are, and when you learn new information, it can drastically change you. A simple example is the innocense of childhood compared to some peoples cynacism as an adult from learning about the troubles of the world.
WRITING STYLE
As mentioned before, the epistolary format gives an intimacy to the writing. Piranesy does have a specific cadence, being simultaneously poetic, and scientific.
EASE OF READ
I will admit, the first 20-ish pages were confusing. The world is weird and trying to understand the descriptions took me a moment. But once you understand the layout of the world, the rest is smooth sailing. The vocabulary and writing style is fairly simple, although it might take some time getting used to reading journal entries.
STORY CREDIBILITY
High. The story does a good job of keeping Piranesi's personal and interal world believable, while showing a fantastical world that is complex, yet consistent in its own rules.
DOES THE AUTHOR WRITE WELL?
Yes. Clarke's prose is beautiful and utilitarian. She definately knows how to write a beautiful sentence, and structure a story with chapters flowing into each other.
IS IT INTERESTING?
Some parts more than others. The exploration of the house was slow and meditative, and I liked discovering the new fantastical elements. But once the mystery really began to unravel, there were parts that are dense, and were noticably less interesting. But all together, yes, it is interesting.
DOES IT PLACE YOU RIGHT INTO THE STORY?
Yes. Because it's told through jourlan entries, you are immediately placed in the middle of Piranesi's daily life and the strange world he lives in.
IS THERE POLITICS?
The story isn't poliical in a government sense, but it does touch on the politics of knowledge (how the utilization of knowledge is connected to power structures).
PACING
Slow. I'm sure that'll be a dealbreaker for some. It does pick up in the end though.
REPRESENTATION
Not really? I have read that the story is an allegory for an illness that the author suffered from, but I don't know if that is true. The cast is small and representation is minimal.
CONTENT WARNINGS
This isn't a dark book. I'd even say it's child-friendly. But here's some things that might bother you (beware of SPOILERS):
Isolation
Mentions of death.
Kidnapping
Confinement
Gaslighting
Drowning
Gun Violence
IS THE ENDING WORTH IT?
Yes. Stayinmg true to the book, the ending is reflective, while staying poetic. The protagonist is different at the end then ffrom the beginning, and all plot threads are tied up neatly.
OUTRO
Piranesi is a strange book. One one hand, I'd say this is one of the modern greats of the Fantasy genre, and on the other, I wasn't blown away the way so many others have been. I think Piranesi is very good, but not quite amazing. Maybe it simply takes more to impress me, or maybe it was Piranesi's personal voice that held me back from absolutely loving it. Regardless, I'm happy I read it and would gladly recommend it. Good job, Susanna Clarke. This is a great addition to the Fantasy genre.
by justkeepbreathing94