Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - Fantasy Book Review by Maddie's Mythical Tales

Title: Piranesi

Written by: Susanna Clarke

Perfect for someone who: Likes reading journal entries from someone living in an otherworldly realm, where there are hidden mysteries to discover.

Awarded: Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021, and a Sunday Times & New York Times Bestseller

Amount of pages: 272

Listen time: 6 hours 58 minutes (on Audible it is read by Chiwetel Ejiofor - an award-winning Actor with prominent roles in '12 Years a Slave', 'Doctor Strange', 'The Lion King (2019)', and more)

Date published: September 2020

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publishers Synopsis: 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.

Other books by Susanna Clarke: 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' and 'The Ladies of Grace Adieu'

.

.

SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been warned...

.

.

My Overall Thoughts & Ending Explained:

To simply describe the way Piranesi by Susanna Clarke left me feeling, it would be somewhat like the feeling of sinking away to the bottom of the ocean - forgotten and lost, but still there.

Everything that this man was - his name, his history, his sense of reality - was washed and eroded away to a perfectly smooth marble. Similar to the tides that routinely flooded the vestibules of the House.

The story is intricately beautiful going through the nuances of this intelligent man's fragmented psyche after going through a traumatic Stockholm-syndrome-like event.

To survive unprecedented psychologically-painful circumstances, I saw that the main character evolved into 3 different archetypes throughout the novel: the non-believer (Matthew Rose Sorensen), the survivor (Piranesi), and the enlightened (the Beloved Child of the House).

It's haunting to realise the extent of how detached the main character became from his previous life pre- entering the House, especially given how bright and clever he was. But he does find power and rises above the tragedy thrust upon him, as by the end of the novel he is able to choose his own reality for himself, with the help of the attentively patient and kind Sarah Raphael - a Police Officer who selflessly solved the case of Matthew Rose Sorensen's disappearance despite the perils and manipulative/egotistical academic maniacs she came across.

Piranesi develops the strength to come face-to-face with who he once was (Matthew), acknowledges who he became in the House (Piranesi), and finds peace knowing that he is both of these people (who he keeps safely asleep in his mind) but simultaneously someone entirely new and evolved. And no matter which realm he finds himself in, the House will forevermore be his true reality. The same goes for James Ritter, who was left in the House for a lengthy period of time by Laurence Arne-Sayles/The Prophet/the person who found the doorway to the new realm.

It's also interesting to see the support structures that Piranesi had put in place. Throughout the novel, he refers to himself as the Beloved Child of the House (he is only named as Piranesi by the vindictive Dr Ketterley/The Other, due to the satirical labyrinthine connotations of this name - there is in fact a real person called Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an Italian who lived in the 1700's and was obsessed with labyrinths). The main character tends to refer to himself as the 'Child', so we can assume that he views the House as a parental deity/guardian/nurturing provider. This is especially evident as his new-found psyche was born from the moment he awoke in the House.

The sea in the Lower Halls often provides 'gifts' from the House to the main character, such as sea creatures for sustenance and leather, seaweed for soups and kindling, and seashells and fishbone trinkets that the main character uses to tie into and decorate his long hair with. This further enforces Piranesi viewing the House as a benevolent provider/deity.

And the marble statues, which are much admired and respected by Piranesi, depict philosophical events, animals, mythical characters, and people of status. Depending on the problem that Piranesi is facing, he will go to different statues to seek their advice. I find this interesting as - similar to Greek Mythology and any other mythology with multiple deities representing different elements of nature/culture - ancient civilisations would similarly pray in stone temples and bring offerings to the deity whose omnipotent and benevolent gifts can help assist with their ailments. For example, Piranesi chooses to be near the Gorilla statue when he feels that he needs its strength.

So, in a way, this shows how we have an inherent need to build religious constructs to cope and survive with our reality. To find our sense of purpose in an otherwise purposeless world.

It took me a while to wrap my head around the style of writing in peculiarly-named journal entries, but it helps provide an insight into what the passage of time must have been like within this otherworldly realm.

And I also liked how there were little breadcrumb clues in Piranesi's journal entries that foreshadowed the big reveal that he was in fact someone else before inhabiting the House. Such as how he reflected that the marble statue of a Faun was one of his favourites as it reminded him of a dream he once had - "he was standing in a snowy forest and speaking to a female child." From my perspective, this seemed like a reference to him remembering one of the famous scenes of Mr Tumnus finding Lucy Pevensie by the light post and walking her back to his cosy abode in the film adaption of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Other breadcrumbs I noticed were how Piranesi instinctively knew that the lights in the night sky were called constellations, that the stone figures were called statues, that he knew what different breeds of birds were called, and so on.

It was also very clear how The Other/Dr Ketterley kept himself impeccably pristine with a suit and shining shoes in juxtaposition with Piranesi who was dressed in ragged and faded clothes that were rotting away from age and seawater. Piranesi was still so incredibly grateful for what he had, whilst Dr Ketterley was never satisfied and always obsessively searching for the Secret Knowledge possessed by the ancient deceased seer, Addedomarus.

The House itself can be seen as a microcosm reflection of our own world, but is also akin to an angelic and peaceful limbo with never-ending Vestibules and Halls, showing how easy it is to get lost with the intricacies of life. The Upper Halls are filled with ethereal clouds floating around, the Central Halls are filled with stone statues and birds, and the Lower Halls are claimed by the tides of the Sea. Therefore, these 3 levels represent the Sky, the Earth, and the Ocean. And each of the Hall levels carries its own threats. The clouds in the Upper Halls are often too dense which makes it easy to accidentally fall through crumbled ceilings. The people that Piranesi encounters in the Central Halls pose a threat to his life, as well as the harsh changing of the seasons. And the tides that flood the Lower and Central Halls on a clockwork basis (that Piranesi has expert knowledge on due to his meticulous journal entries and exploration of the House) are deadly if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Overall, I absolutely love the fragile beauty of this novel, both with respect to the otherworldly magnificence of the House, and watching Piranesi's psychological evolution to become a stronger and more self-aware version of himself. It forces the reader to reflect on what we do and don't appreciate enough in our daily lives, such as freedom, access to materials such as clothes/survival gear/home comforts, and also friends/family.

And Dr Ketterley was right about one thing - knowledge is power. Piranesi's knowledge of the House is ultimately what saved him and Sarah from the tides, and Dr Ketterley's egotistical arrogance is what led to his satisfying demise.

On Maddie's Mythical Tales, you can discover enchanting places to travel, fantasy news and updates, and tips to bring magic to your everyday life!

You can stay up-to-date on Instagram, X (Twitter) and on Pinterest.

And Sign Up to be notified when a new blog post gets released by clicking the red 'Subscribe' button.

Currently residing in West Sussex, Maddie is a 26 y/o blogger and illustrator with a passion for mythology, legends, fairytales & folklore. You'll regularly find her escaping into fantasy books, films, TV, and games.