Book Review: Piranesi by Susannah Clarke

Piranesi
by Susannah Clarke (Clarke)

 

Piranesi is an odd duck of a book. It opens with a journal entry titled and dated like this:

 

“When the Moon rose in the Third Northern Hall I went to the Ninth Vestibule

ENTRY FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE FIFTH MONTH IN THE YEAR THE ALBATROSS CAME TO THE SOUTH-WESTERN HALLS”

 

The journal keeper, who knows himself as “Piranesi” because the only other person calls him that, lives in a world composed of enormous rooms going in all directions, plus up into the clouds and down into the ocean in the lower chambers. The main feature of these rooms are stone statues, which Piranesi has been cataloging as he explores the world.

 

This all seems rather far-fetched even going by the internal consistency standard. And you’d be right about that. Part of the fun is figuring out what could *possibly* be happening. I might have given up early if I didn’t have a great deal of faith in the author from reading her book Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I’m glad I didn’t quit because the revelations start to hit hard and fast just before 100 pages in, and I was completely swept away at that point.

 

Instead of recommending similar books, I have to say this reminded most strongly of a genre of video games called “walking simulators.” This term was originally a sneer at how such games didn’t feature traditional action elements, but were instead about exploring an environment and gradually uncovering the story (and, often, the identity of the character you’re playing) through found notes, visions, disordered objects, and the like. I especially recommend the following:

 

Firewatch
What Remains of Edith Finch
Gone Home
Dear Esther
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

 

I also recommend viewing Giovanni Piranesi’s 18th century art series Imaginary Prisons to see where this book’s title comes from. This will not spoil the book.

[ Wikipedia page for Susannah Clarke ]

 

Recommended by Garren H.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

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