A Mind, A House And The Infinity In-between

REVIEWING SUSANNA CLARK'S PIRANESI

Say it... say 'Piranesi'. If you haven't heard of this word before then join me in this meaningless act of saying one word over and over. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and say 'Piranesi', now repeat with a little more feeling, 'Piranesi', now stretch the word a bit, like how the Italians do it, go on say 'Piranesi' again. If it still makes no sense to you, if your now confused mind cannot conjure up a single coherent image at the mention of this word, then congratulations. You are the most eligible reader for this book.  

If you have a head that finds meaning in the oddly shaped clouds, a mind that assigns stories for strangers you meet while traveling, and a heart that refuses to not drool over words that sigh poetically, then the story you are reading is unavoidably different from how the others are reading that exact same story. I don't mean to make you a narcissist, but psssst... you are better than them, and you know it.

All jokes aside, Piranesi is not an easy read, particularly because it takes a lot of time to finally make some sense. And that 'lot of time' could be enough for you to decide that this book isn't for you. But, if you decide to read on, then know that you will be rewarded... almost positively. 

There is something incredibly secretive about this story, something that makes me want to talk about this book without making any sense to you. How do I tempt you to this, without giving away details of my own reading experience? Everything except the title is already a spoiler.

Let's start by talking about who Piranesi actually is. Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian Classical architect, famous for his conception of prison worlds. Maybe we should, for convenience sake, call him the Lord of Labyrinths.... hey would that make him the patron saint of my blog????

This one is dark, sinister, and engaging. It might lead you towards a frenzy of figuring out, of trying to read between the lines where it is not even necessary and frustrate you so much that towards the end, you might actually get to feel the tightening grip of that disastrous anger you have always managed to control, only because it made you think too much. And no... being the notorious overthinker of your group is not going shield you from this.

Now, coming to the actual question. Why would I suggest you this book? The answer is simple, I opened the door, I know what's inside and now I am out, alive and breathing. Dare to do the same?

Oh! and to wish you good luck, I only have to quote the book itself, "May your Paths be safe, your Floors unbroken, and may the House fill your eyes with Beauty.”