Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Publisher – Bloomsbury
Published – Out Now
Price – £14.99 hardcover £7.13 Kindle eBook
Piranesi lives in the House. Perhaps he always has.
In his notebooks, day after day, he makes a clear and careful record of its wonders: the labyrinth of halls, the thousands upon thousands of statues, the tides that thunder up staircases, the clouds that move in slow procession through the upper halls. On Tuesdays and Fridays Piranesi sees his friend, the Other. At other times he brings tributes of food to the Dead. But mostly, he is alone.
Messages begin to appear, scratched out in chalk on the pavements. There is someone new in the House. But who are they and what do they want? Are they a friend or do they bring destruction and madness as the Other claims?
Lost texts must be found; secrets must be uncovered. The world that Piranesi thought he knew is becoming strange and dangerous.
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
A lot of the time you may notice I talk about storytelling. For me that is how a book’s author keeps me hooked and thr story unwinding. It is very hard to think of Discworld without that’s author’s voice and although sometimes the same themes are being explored the way the story is presented keeps it entertaining and fresh. Plotting is a different type of skill. Moving piece A to B to C can be quite technical and the reader may find they are quickly second guessing the plot. In thrillers this often works by constant show pieces such as murders; fights or explosions so seeing it done in fantasy successfully can work. I was bewitched by how Susanna Clarke delivered this in the novel Piranesi giving me a very satisfactory tale that while not for everyone will I think still be rewarding for many readers.
Piranesi inhabits an infinitely large House of many halls, statues and even tides that make up the world. For many many years they have explored and documented in their diaries the mysterious way the House operates. How they tend the skeletons of the dead and their regular encounters with he only other living person they meet known as the other. This is all there can be but seeking out the mysteries of the House gives Piranesi joy. The Other however warns Piranesi that there is another person now beginning to make their way into the House and that this person if they speak top Piranesi will make them go mad and that will result in their death.
In some ways this story could almost be a one-character play. Everything is told through Piranesi’s journal entries recounting their days in the House and what happened. For much of the story there is only the character of The Other and some animals we see Piranesi encounter. Compared to Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell this is a significantly more streamlined beast that yet still has a unusual world and its history to relate to the reader but this time in a more succinct manner.
Piranesi come across the story as the bewildered innocent walking through the Halls seeking answers. Their voice is curious, joyous, and only slightly tinged with suspicion that something else is going on. The first few diary entries are confusing and a host of made-up traditions and events that give you a sense of what Piranesi’s life has been like for years. One thing I loved is the way this House and Halls are described it feels remarkably otherworldly – strange statues; some flooded, some covered with coral and the occasional glimpse of moons and stars that are not found on our world. This has a great feeling of a story in many ways disconnected from our world and Piraesi cut off from anything, but this House has made their own reality and way of life as a consequence.
It is designed to destabilise a reader and take us out of our world. Cleverly we start to see clues though that all is not what it seems, and I think circa halfway you’ll work out what type of story this is. For me seeing that mystery still unfurl really worked but I think an equal number od readers may feel disconnected. This is not a character focused tale, and the revelations may also be read as doing exactly what was needed. Usually these are thing I would need for a read to work but here I was thoroughly satisfied (and yes this is one of those reviews were you’re better off going in cold so I’m walking around the plot very delicately).
For me reading this was like watching a beautifully constructed piece of clockwork. You know exactly what each piece will do but I admired the elegance and sureness of the story’s construction. A little longer in pages I’d had been annoyed but it never outstayed it’s welcome. The ending in particular as we move into different directions exploring the story’s aftermath and see some of the House’s purpose finally explained made for me an emotional conclusion. This is a story of isolation, working out your own world and staying true to your character. I wonder if I’d had enjoyed this pre-2020 lockdown but I really enjoyed this read having been through several now. A piece of fantasy that is well worth your time just to explore your own reaction to it.
