Second book I am reviewing from the Women’s Prize Longlist 2021. 

 

The book cover prepared me for a Greek retelling as I thought it was portraying Pan on the cover but I was wrong. 

 

Piranesi, the main character, lives in the House, a never-ending expanse of Halls and Statues with the ocean flowing through. He works with The Other on their mission to learn the House’s Great and Secret Knowledge. We follow his journey through diary entries and through his solitary writings we discover Clarke’s world. 

 

After reading up on the book title name as suggested by @booksfullosky, it is worth reflecting on the subject of Clarke’s homage on the historical Piranesi, an 18th-century engraver, is celebrated for his intricate and oppressive visions of imaginary prisons. Goethe, it is said, was so taken with these that he found the real Rome to be greatly disappointing. 

 

Clarke succeeds in blending these themes together, attracting at first the reader with the architecture of the world Piranesi lives in, only to slowly bring the structure down through the consequent revelations that hide behind the grandeur of the labyrinth, its statues, staircases and halls. 

 

Only for me the second part felt short. Although the writing kept being atmospheric and eerie, I was not fully immersed and enchanted as I initially was. After discussing it with a friend, we both agreed that it was hard to pin down what felt wrong to us in our reading experience but it seemed that it took away some of the magic which is why it did not end being a five star read for me. 

 

However, I did i like the overarching message, at least how i interpreted it, of being so trapped in a mental state that even when there is a way out and you are offered help to make the transition, one lacks the tools necessary to go back to normal and instead finds comfort in that state even if it is destructive to a third party observer. That becomes even stronger of a feeling especially if a lot of time has passed and that state becomes and feels more familiar and closer to oneself. 

 

Definitely a memorable read, but not my favourite! That being said, I am definitely going to read her debut novel Jonathan Strange which she is famous for. 

 

Two books down from the #womensprizelonglist! 

 

#spoonfulofhygge #piranesi #susannaclarke #womensprize #bookstagramreadsthewomensprize #bookreview #bookstagram #under4k #fantasy #fantasybook