Book Review: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

 "May your paths be safe, your floors unbroken and may the house fill your eyes with beauty."

Piranesi is, one of my favourite books of all time - and is a book that holds higher esteem with each read. 

I first got my hands on a copy borrowed at the recommendation of a friend in 2024, and I'm so glad she told me about it. This book transcends anything I previously thought I knew about fantasy and is one of the best examples of original world-building that I have ever had the privilege to read. I am currently working through my third read and it captivates me just as much, if not more, than it did on my first. 

I recently went to the seaside for a couple of days and was struck by how fitting the world Clarke so masterfully creates, aligns with coastal scenery. The book describes a world within a house, a place with many floors and halls. The house boasts upper floors which are in the clouds, whilst its lower ones are covered by tides and swells of sea. The house defies convention, for example, birds such as albatrosses make their home within its walls and yet examples of modern day living and design are present in the form of statues and leftover packets of food. 

We are introduced and inhabit this world through the eyes of Piranesi, a good-kind-wonderful main character who is simply trying to live the best he can in this world, albeit frugally and often at the mercy of the seasons (which still move through the house). 

The poetic descriptions of the world Piranesi describes are exceptionally profound and beautiful. He believes, at first, that he lives in this world with only one "Other" and fifteen dead inhabitants. Due to the solitary nature of his existence without outside guidance, he finds ways of understanding the different halls and of recording time in this space. Each hall holds its own tide timetable and differing environments and many pose risks to safety. Piranesi also has no way of marking the passing of time and so devises his own conventions to catalogue and mark his life and the life or value of the objects he encounters. 

The story is captivating due to the fact that we only know as much about this world as Piranesi himself knows, and yet we always feel like something is amiss. The 'Other' seems to know much more about this world than Piranesi, despite not understanding its rhythms. When things start to reveal themselves and unravel, Piranesi starts to question all that he knows to be true. 

If you can, I recommend trying this book, even if you don't normally enjoy fantasy. It is so vivid and immersive, whilst being quite short and easy to read. If you try it, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think. 

Happy reading!

Molly