Piranesi (utgåvan 2020)

This one is very fantasy-ish, more so than Jonathan Strange, in the sense that most of the novel is spent in a strange world, where the rules and realities are dropped in piecemeal. It's a novel with a puzzle, or a code to crack. As such, I'm not sure what the experience of reading a second time will be like. But I know that I will read it a second time, because it's such a heartrending story, with fascinating characters in eldritch environments. ( )

A compulsive read, so it was a good thing it's rather a lot shorter than Jonathan Strange and could be fit into an evening! This is probably because the limited cast doesn't allow for as expansive an exploration - of the setting there is clearly an infinite space to explore, but such a travelogue would after a while start to pall, and thus lose some mystique, if unleavened with more human (or at least avian) interaction and/or plot. At this length the revelations proceed at a decent pace, and all concludes in a satisfactory way while leaving the world and its entrance as a tantalising dreamscape. ( )

I don't how she creates this world so completely, but not only can I imagine it but I understand it. I care deeply what happens to P. The structure of the book is also perfect. And though I did not want it to end, the last line was perfect except then it didn't quite end!). Want to reread. ( )

Something very claustrophobic about this novel - I can't quite put my finger on it - especially as one is just starting to read it. I suppose it's the description of the setting comprised of caves and the underground, an awe-inspiring prison. But what a remarkable book!! Like the proverbial layers of an onion, the story gradually unfolds to reveal the truth behind all the hints only alluded to at the beginning of this first-person narrative. Plus, the recurring thematic motifs of memory and identity provide a whole other layer of meaning to some of the more mundane aspects of the plot. Bleak and yet fiercely comforting, ultimately redemptive. ( )

In a house where the lower levels are full of ocean and the upper levels full of clouds, lives a young man called [Piranesi] by the only person he knows. He doesn't remember his real name and so Piranesi will do as well as any other. The house has many rooms, staircases and vestibules and statues of every size line the walls. Piranesi spends his time getting what he needs from the ocean, keeping a journal, which he painstakingly indexes, charting the tides and exploring the house. He also meets with the one other person in this place twice a week, always at the same time and always only for an hour. Oddly, he never encounters the other man at any other time.

If you like world-building, [[Susanna Clarke]]'s novel will delight. It's rich in detail, and the info-dumps are kept to a minimum. The reader learns about the house as Piranesi goes about his life and learns about who Piranesi is and how he came to this place along with Piranesi. As a narrator, Piranesi is a good companion, scrupulous in his explanations and endlessly good-natured and curious. And the story itself is well-paced. My quibbles with this book are largely personal or having to do with the genre itself. Clarke has done a good job at what she set out to do. ( )