Review: Piranesi

Piranesi

by Susanna Clarke

Bloomsbury, 2020

Adult Fantasy

Summary: Piranesi (the Other calls them this but they don’t think that’s their real name) traverses the large House full of statues that makes up their whole world. But things turn strange when new people show up and cause Piranesi to question reality and their identity.

Likes: The setting feels like a character. It is interesting and fun to see it through Piranesi’s eyes. Watching them struggle when things start to change was hard because I felt so protective but I couldn’t look away especially nearer the end when so many things are getting revealed. The revelations aren’t a complete shock because the author plants ideas early on but some things are still shocking. Piranesi is also a journal person and very organized. Also praise goes to that one police officer. They did not give up.

Dislikes: Two of the characters really aren’t brought to justice for how much harm they do.

Overall this did have a bittersweet ending which fits with the book. It left me with questions, some sadness, but also a little hope. We do spend a lot of time with Piranesi and how they perceive their environment. They are filled with wonder and fascination for their home. There is some action at the very end but for most of the book the conflict is more of an internal psychological struggle.