But as he uncovers layer after layer, we follow him on a path not to resolution but to expansion-and even more mystery. The book unwinds like a mystery, with Piranesi as the sleuth, and this is a part of its charm. Gentle and thoughtful by nature, Piranesi inclines towards trust, and now he must begin to doubt. The sixteenth person looms on the horizon, and Piranesi struggles to make sense of the things that are happening. He discovers that there are gaps in his memory, and he learns that the Other is lying to him. Piranesi is not quite sure why the House gives such things to the Other and not to him, but he bears it philosophically.Īnd then, the things that once made sense to Piranesi start to fall apart. Mysteriously, the Other is able to sometimes provide things to Piranesi such as a sleeping bag, or a ham and cheese sandwich, or a pair of shoes. In spite of the Other’s cruelty to him, Piranesi has an affection for this man, who is handsome and well-dressed and engrossed in a search for a Great and Secret Knowledge, which he is certain will grant him enormous power. The Other is a man with whom Piranesi meets for exactly one hour twice a week. There are thirteen skeletons in the House, to which Piranesi tends and takes offerings. Piranesi, in his scientific way, has catalogued “A list of all the people who have ever lived and what is known of them.” Based on the knowledge that he has, he knows that fifteen people have certainly existed. The record he is keeping is for The Sixteenth Person. He names the years ( The Year I discovered the Coral Halls The Year of Weeping and Wailing The Year I named the Constellations) and he writes in his journal. He talks to the birds and to the statues. He fishes in the Lower Halls for sustenance, and he decorates his long hair with beautiful things that he finds-shells, coral, pebbles. In this extraordinary, elemental House Piranesi lives. Piranesi susanna clarke windows#The Lower Halls are the Domain of the Tides their Windows - when seen from across a Courtyard - are grey-green with the restless Waters and white with the spatter of Foam….The Upper Halls are, as I have said, the Domain of the Clouds their Windows are grey-white and misty.” Piranesi Piranesi lives in the Middle Halls, which he describes as “the Domain of birds and of men.” Piranesi susanna clarke full#Definitely one for a re-read.Piranesi tells the story of the title character, who lives in a vast House (he has never been able to walk to the end of it, and he alternately refers to it as “the World”) full of marble arches and endless enormous statues. Loved the structure of this, beautifully written and imagined. I won’t pretend to have understood all of the metaphors and imagery in the book - I was a bit too caught up in the plot. I haven’t read ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell’, Susanna Clarke’s previous well received book, but I will certainly be going back to check it out. But looking back, it was just selfishness on my part in wanting to spend more time in that world. It’s just so perfectly paced but when I initially finished I felt it could have been longer. I really don’t want to say anything about the plot, so as not to spoil the enjoyment as the book unfolds. What makes up a person? Is it just their accumulated memories and experiences? And when a person spends too much time in solitude and lives in a fantasy world, how can the real world ever compare, and are we better off in that imagined world sometimes? ‘Piranesi’ caused me to ask a lot questions too. Piranesi has no memories from his earlier life and he’s happy in this world, until a few strange occurrences cause him to start asking questions. But the book is mostly about him being alone, and how he survives in this labyrinth, which he has imbued with his own meaning. The only person with him in this strange place is the ‘other’ who he meets once a week, and a couple of skeletons who he tends to. He survives on fish and seaweed, and seems to be curious rather than full of despair. The story is told via his journal entries and their odd dating system, which makes the time and world hard to place. It consists of an unknown amount of vestibules and halls on three levels with thousands of marble statues lined along the walls. Piranesi lives in a watery underworld, subject to tidal flooding. “The Beauty of the House is immeasurable its Kindness infinite.” Fantasy wouldn't be my normal genre but when I just gave myself up to the story and lost myself in the world created I couldn't put this down. I was quite happy to do this as it was just so intriguing and I was eager to know what happened next. To begin with, I really didn't know what was happening and found it almost disorientating, and I had to read the first part twice with a bit of back and forth.
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