New York Times BestsellerWinner of the Women’s Prize for FictionWorld Fantasy Awards FinalistFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an intoxicating, hypnotic new novel set in a dreamlike alternative reality. Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of … infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.
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When I saw the size of Piranesi compared to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I was skeptical; how wrong I was to doubt. Piranesi is AT LEAST as brilliant, perhaps more so, because Clark accomplishes just as much within a third of the pages.
Intriguing from page one, Clark does a remarkable job of drawing the reader in slowly, creating questions that become clear only when she’s ready for them to. It requires the reader’s trust. Freely given? Innocently? Skeptically? That, in and of itself, is a major theme that runs through every page. Brilliant, once again.
The religious commentary is unmistakable, though where the author stands isn’t part of said commentary. It’s just that–commentary, and, once again, skillfully done. It leaves interpretation up to the reader.
Lastly, the construction and design of the whole books is gorgeous. Love and attention was given to this book, for good reason.
PS: The reference to Dr Who was a perfectly understated nugget.
Entirely too short.
Unique, memorable, and beautifully mystifying!
Piranesi is an enthralling, moving, creative novel that takes you into the life of a man unsure of his name but known as Piranesi by “The Other”, and who resides in a house, or prison of sorts, where the earth, sea, and sky meet in the vast corridors of time, space, whiteness, magic, statues, tranquillity, and isolation, and mystery lurks around every corner.
The writing is eloquent and sophisticated. The characters are curious, lonely, and intelligent. And the compelling plot sweeps you away into an intricately woven tale of magical realism that touches on life, solace, sacrifice, and survival.
Piranesi is, ultimately, a mesmerizing, haunting, well-written story by Clarke that is a powerful page-turner where the space between the words resonates as loudly as the words themselves.
I was incredibly fortunate to be sent a preview copy of this wonderful book last month and I have been waiting for the rest of you to catch up and share this extraordinary book.
Piranesi has been described as ‘luminous’ by one critic nd it’s easy to see why. At first Piranesi felt like a shining, classical version of Gormenghast, but it’s so much more. The story unfolds within the Halls of the House – unsettling and beautiful, filled with statuary… and a tidal sea.
The author appears to have taken the ‘unlikely-enough-to-be true’ names of the statues from half-way down memory lane; so much so that, one day, I expect to be able to find them somewhere.
I will say no more about the contents as I hope you find them as wonderful as I did.
The physical book is a thing of beauty too, I love the Ernst Haeckel style end papers, they are so fitting.
Susanna Clarke’s timing is excellent – although began almost 25 years ago, her luminous otherworld will really chime with people still in lockdown or emerging into the ‘new normal.’ Our post-Covid world has become utterly unfamiliar and I believe readers will find in Piranesi a fellow traveller for our times.