The world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is back, but set in modern times
After Clarke’s phenomenal success with Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, she went quiet on the publishing front. Considering the size and scope of her original book, it’s no wonder she needed a break. It took 16 years for her to release her next full novel (barring a collection of short stories in The Ladies of Grace Adieu). That novel was Piranesi.
It’s far shorter than Strange & Norrell and is not a sequel, though it is set in the same universe. In fact, it brings things to much more modern times, telling a far more enclosed story. It’s brilliant and unique in its own way, telling a story that’s altogether different from Strange & Norrell.
What you need to know about Piranesi
| Length | 272 pages |
| Series | Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (this is not a sequel but is standalone set in the same universe) |
| Number in series | 1 |
| Author | Suzanna Clarke |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Publication date | 15th September 2020 |
| Target Age | Adult |
| Genre | Modern fantasy |
| Themes | Unusual worlds, mysteries, amnesia |
| Complexity | Clarke has a clever writing style. It’s not difficult to understand, but it’s also not aimed at more basic readers either. |
| Spice (out of 5) | 🌶️ – Other than brief references to romantic relationships, Piranesi is very light on details of intimacy |
| Potential trigger warnings | There is threat between characters and some very brief conflict. Characters do die but the details are brief, rare and not gory in detail. There are references to people being manipulated and entrapped, but these aren’t overly distressing. |
What’s it about?
Piranesi is written as if from the journal of the titular protagonist. An individual who appears to be trapped inside a huge house with unusual things inside and where odd things occur that seem magical. The protagonist also appears to have lost his memories of a time before being in the house.
As a reader, we get insight into the thoughts of Piranesi and learn as he does, about the house and others who are there or have been there. Piranesi is a book of mystery and discovery, with each page revealing more details about what the house is, why the protagonist and others are there and its secret past.
Storytelling devices enhance the mystery
The entirety of Piranesi is told in the form of journal articles kept by our meticulous protagonist. He keeps these in a somewhat scientific format, recording the nature of the rooms of the house, their patterns and anomalies that occur. By doing so, he, and by extension, the reader, is able to slowly gain clues as to the nature of the house and the mysterious things that exist there.
At times, we pop back in time to previous journal entries, and with Piranesi’s amnesia, we slowly start to unfold the truth about his past and his present circumstances. As with most great mysteries, there is a constant flow of clues, or at least possible clues. At first, we’re mostly just given the physical occurrences and features of the house, but as things progress, we start to gain an understanding of who Piranesi is, the nature of others and why certain things are there.
The pace of clues is pretty constant which makes this an absolute page turner.
Piranesi is delightfully innocent
There’s something very compelling about the protagonist. He is naive and innocent, and yet resourceful and considered all at the same time. He may be naive towards more social dangers, but he does also learn. At the same time, he’s very wise to the dangers of the house. He is obsessively studious and meticulous and his experience within the house means that he knows more of its inner workings than anyone else.
It’s this competent naivety that makes him such an endearing protagonist that’s easy to root for.
Ending doesn’t meet the lofty expectations of the setup
While the setup of Piranesi is phenomenal, the ending is only decent. I’ve read a lot of opinions that would disagree with this and I think people tend to fall into 2 camps. Those that enjoy Piranesi (and books in general) for their character driven arcs, will likely find the ending to be very enjoyable and satisfactory. However, those that are more driven by plot may find that the ending doesn’t quite live up to the lofty plot setup Clarke puts into place. Sadly, I lean more towards the latter camp.
The ending absolutely is not a bad ending. It wraps things up in a satisfactory way, it concludes well and it is a good story to tell. But where Clarke teases some very complex and deep meanings behind what goes on in the house, this isn’t really ever explained. Instead we get a conclusion that is far more focused on revelations on Piranesi rather than revelations about the house itself.
Having said all this, I don’t think this should put plot driven readers off reading the book. I still found it thoroughly enjoyable. But I do consider it the difference between a very good book and an outstanding book.
Conclusion
Piranesi, like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell before it, is a wonderfully unique story told in a brilliant way. It has some of the best mystery and setup that I’ve ever seen in a book.
Sadly, I don’t feel it quite lives up to its own lofty setup in it’s conclusion. It remains a solid ending, but not a magnificent one. Despite that, it’s still well worth a read if you’ve been yearning to jump back into Clarke’s magical imagination, or if you just enjoy a good fantasy or mystery novel.
8/10