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Wow wow wow wow wow. I had absolutely no idea what this book was about going in, and it slapped me in the face. Susanna Clarke's writing is one of the most beautiful I have read in a long time and I was completely mesmerised by this book, so much so that I even dreamt about it last night, lmao.

Reviewing this fantasy speculative(?) novel is so hard, I really don't know where to start. I also don't want to go into too much detail because I really think this is best read with as little knowledge about the plot as possible. The only thing I will say is that it reads as journal entries following one character, Piranesi, as he rediscovers the world around him.

This is a slow-paced book with a very fast-paced ending, and I personally really enjoyed this pacing. The writing is really lyrical, beautiful, and soothing. The themes discussed in here are deep and the main character's development is fascinating to read about. Again, not going to go into too much detail because I really think it would ruin the overall experience.

I will definitely keep thinking about this book for a while, and it easily makes my top 5 of 2021 so far. I will also be reading Clarke's other works in the future and I wouldn't be surprised if she became a new favourite author.

I would very strongly recommend this book if you're looking for a fantasy novel set somewhere around our time, with strong themes of nature and beautiful, lyrical descriptions. I would also recommend it to anyone who wants to think about life in general, and wants to do so in a fictional setting.