Susanna Clarke

Piranesi

Piranesi inhabits a strange world in which he documents everything he sees in his journal. However as time passes, it becomes clear that Piranesi knows very little about the world although he’s more than willing to learn! This fascinating story takes the reader on a journey of learning, making mistakes, and becoming enlightened.

Format: Kindle Edition, Audiobook, Hardcover, & Paperback

Paperback: 272 Pages

Language: English

 

5/5
Reviewed By Reviewed By Violeta Nedkova
“If you like strange stories set in strange worlds with precious but unreliable main characters, plus deeply ingrained social commentary that will make you cry, then give this book a go. The emotions I drew from this book were similar to the experience of reading Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon.”
Buy Now

Piranesi is one of the best books I have recently read. I selected it for two reasons – 1) it’s written by Susanna Clarke, who also wrote another of my favorite books, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I read a few decades ago (this book is nothing like it by the way), and 2) I heard that it was one of the strangest books ever written, and because I love unusual books, I decided to give it a go.

Nothing prepared me for what actually happened!

It was very similar to the transformative, enlightening, emotional journey I went through while reading Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. The main characters are almost identical (innocent and mostly unreliable). Similarly, Piranesi contains a much deeper message than a weird story about a weird place. On the surface, it’s about Piranesi’s strange world and his attempts to figure it out, but beyond that it’s also a social commentary about our world and the experience of living in it.

What I expected was a trippy read, but what I got instead was a poignant work of literature.

Like Flowers for Algernon, I read this little book in almost one sitting, which isn’t difficult as it’s only 246 pages long! At the end, when I’d read about 90% of the book, I burst into tears and couldn’t stop crying. It was an unexpected reaction given that nothing awful happened in the story. Looking back, I think it was the deep message that triggered it as I couldn’t help but empathise with Piranesi, the main character.

Maybe that’s why I loved the experience so much: not because I wasn’t sure what was going on (until I’d read about 50% of the book) or because it was a big puzzle waiting to be solved, but because I connected with the story’s message, and managed to purge everything inside me because of it.

So if you liked Flowers for Algernon, you’ll probably enjoy this book too. And if you like strange stories in strange places and characters who are both precious and oblivious, this book will not disappoint.

In the end, the less you know before you pick it up, the better.

Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova

Lost your password?