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Rachel's Reviews > Piranesi
Piranesi
by
by
I've been holding onto my copy of Piranesi for a little over a year. Based on the things I'd heard about it, I had a feeling this would be a new favorite, and I didn't want to be disappointed. I kept waiting for the "right" time, when it was the only thing I was interested in reading. I finally got to it. My expectations were as about as high as they can possibly get, and yet I can confidently say they were met. Piranesi gave me everything I wanted from it.
With a setting that vaguely reminded me of the ominous House of Leaves and comparisons to Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane (one of my favorite books of all time), Piranesi was promised to be weird and atmospheric - qualities I most admire in literature. Piranesi lives in the World - an infinitely large House, complete with its own ocean and fog and decorated exclusively with statues. The Other also lives in the House, and Piranesi appreciates his company. However, a change is upon them: Another person has been detected in the labyrinth, and the Other says not to trust them.
Even from a short description alone, I think it's easy to imagine how possible it would be to make the atmosphere of this novel so thick. Indeed, it's eerie and intriguing, and Piranesi's generally cheerful demeanor contrasts with it nicely. His innocence makes it all the easier to root for him in his quest for knowledge about the World. Slowly, the layers of his circumstance begin to unravel, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I can understand why it's compared to Ocean in terms of strong sense of atmosphere, gorgeous imagery, and metaphorical content. For much of the book, the well-developed and well-paced mystery drove me to continue reading - and I must say that Clarke utilizes dramatic irony well - but the conclusion was truly beautiful.
I'm not under the impression everyone always agrees on what themes are in store by the time the reader reaches the end, but the impression I'm left with was that I'd read a unique exploration of trauma, how difficult it can be to leave the past behind, and how we change through life.
Piranesi has become a new favorite as expected.
With a setting that vaguely reminded me of the ominous House of Leaves and comparisons to Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane (one of my favorite books of all time), Piranesi was promised to be weird and atmospheric - qualities I most admire in literature. Piranesi lives in the World - an infinitely large House, complete with its own ocean and fog and decorated exclusively with statues. The Other also lives in the House, and Piranesi appreciates his company. However, a change is upon them: Another person has been detected in the labyrinth, and the Other says not to trust them.
Even from a short description alone, I think it's easy to imagine how possible it would be to make the atmosphere of this novel so thick. Indeed, it's eerie and intriguing, and Piranesi's generally cheerful demeanor contrasts with it nicely. His innocence makes it all the easier to root for him in his quest for knowledge about the World. Slowly, the layers of his circumstance begin to unravel, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I can understand why it's compared to Ocean in terms of strong sense of atmosphere, gorgeous imagery, and metaphorical content. For much of the book, the well-developed and well-paced mystery drove me to continue reading - and I must say that Clarke utilizes dramatic irony well - but the conclusion was truly beautiful.
I'm not under the impression everyone always agrees on what themes are in store by the time the reader reaches the end, but the impression I'm left with was that I'd read a unique exploration of trauma, how difficult it can be to leave the past behind, and how we change through life.
Piranesi has become a new favorite as expected.
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