Piranesi by Susanna ClarkeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Piranesi is a delightful mystery box of a novel. We read the journals of a man wandering endless hallways of marble statues, of rooms filled with clouds, and tides that crash through the house. Clarke's prose and pacing is perfect here; revealing the mysteries of this impossible house word by propulsive word. Along the way we encounter shadowy scholars and dangerous interlopers and covered-up murders. Those willing to be confused by Clarke's intentionally spare narrator at the start will find delight by book's end.
P.S. I've seen a lot of readings claiming Piranesi is some sort of cypher for mental illness? While there's certainly an argument to be made (and, as always, art is subjective) removing the book's magical elements with labored metaphor would suck the air right out of this book's balloon. Let the magic be magic, y'all.
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