I picked up Piranesi after hearing it recommended on the ABC Radio National Top 100 Books of the 21st Century countdown, and it turned out to be one of those books that feels quietly special while you are reading it, and then keeps revisiting you afterwards.
The story is told through the journals of Piranesi, who lives in an enormous House made up of endless halls filled with statues. The lower levels flood with the tides, the upper levels are dry and calm, and the House seems to provide everything he needs (albeit not much). There is only one other person in his world, someone he calls the Other, who visits occasionally and is searching for some kind of hidden knowledge. As Piranesi records his days, small details begin to feel off, and gradually you realise that there is much more going on than he understands.
That is about as much as I want to say about the plot, because this really is a book you should discover slowly.
What I loved most about Piranesi was the feeling of it. The world is mysterious and magical, but it also feels incredibly real. Clarke builds it so carefully that you accept it almost without question, even when you do not fully understand how it works. I could see it clearly in my head, and I did not want to leave it.
In a strange way, it reminded me of the stories I used to make up as a child. Those imagined worlds that felt complete and absorbing and totally logical while you were inside them. I think that has a lot to do with Piranesi himself. He moves through his world with such openness and appreciation. He delights in it. He notices things. He is grateful for what he has. That straightforward way of seeing made the book feel both gentle and profound.
The writing is beautiful but very restrained. It never feels like it is trying too hard. The mystery unfolds slowly, and even when the book ends, it feels like there is still more there to think about. I finished it with the sense that I had not fully unpacked everything yet, and I liked that.
I kept wishing I was reading this as part of a book club. It feels like the kind of book that would only get better through conversation, because there is so much in it that could be interpreted and discussed. Power, knowledge, memory, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves.
This is strange, thoughtful, and beautifully made. I really loved it.
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