Piranesi by Susanna Clark

Piranesi is the kind of book that going into it you think you know what to expect, but when you actually start reading it, it's completely different. I thought it would be a story with Roman influences, but it really was much more than that. It is by the far the most unique book that I have read all year.

I had also read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell in the year and found that Piranesi was just as descriptive and complex but far more attractive to read, given the differing lengths.

The book itself is narrated by Piranesi who lives in a labyrinth of halls and vestibules, which he calls The House. A never-ending world of places to discover and explore. He doesn't remember his life before living in The House. The book follows Piranesi's personal journal entries, as time goes on, the mystery of The House starts to become clearer to the reader, and the story becomes as I said earlier SO much more.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking, mysterious reads with a hidden complexity that runs throughout the story.

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

Piranesi describes his 'world' through his journal entries living in a labyrinthine consisting of halls and vestibules which occasionally flood and later throughout the story there are clues for the reader as to how the story will unfold. At first I struggled to comprehend the tale but as time went on and I relaxed into it I realised what a worldbuilding masterpiece it really was and it turns your mind inside out. I loved Chiwetel Ejiofor as the narrator and found his tone very soothing and mythical. This was a very different style of book for me but I would definitely recommend it, many thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for allowing me the chance to listen to and review this little beauty

Piranesi is a labyrinth novel that is very hard to explain and even harder to stop reading. I finished this book a number of days ago and still find myself thinking about it every few hours. I look forward to rereading Piranesi and discovering more about the story the second time around.

If you want to get lost in a book during these gloomy winter days then I highly recommend this. The audiobook, with Chiwetel Ejiofor's brilliant narration, added a beautifully layer of mystery and allows the reader to be fully immersed in the world.

3.5/5

My thanks to Bloomsbury U.K. Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘Piranesi’ by Susanna Clarke. It was published in September 2020 and is narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor with a running time of 6 hours, 58 minutes.

‘Piranesi’ was one of the most anticipated novels of 2020 and like many I had been eagerly waiting years for Clarke’s next novel. Long before I read and listened to this novel, I was intrigued by its cover art of a faun playing a flute and the title’s link to the labyrinthine prisons depicted by the Neoclassical artist Giovanni Piranesi. It more than fulfilled my expectations.

“Piranesi has always lived in the House.” The House is the World as far as Piranesi is aware: a watery labyrinth with many halls and corridors that imprisons an ocean. Every hall and passageway contains statues that he is currently cataloguing.

Piranesi isn’t quite alone. There is The Other, who is a scientist like Piranesi. He is convinced that somewhere within the House is a Great and Secret Knowledge that will grant them enormous powers once discovered. They meet twice a week to discuss their ongoing work. Also resident in the House are thirteen other people though all of these are skeletons.

Then messages begin to appear, scratched in chalk. Clearly there is someone new in the House. The Other claims that they are dangerous and to speak to them could send Piranesi mad.....

This was such a perfect novel that I was completely transported into its world for the duration. It is a novel that I expect to return to again and again to appreciate its layers and to re-experience Clarke’s elegantly lyrical writing.

As with ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell’, the novel explores metaphysical themes and is especially concerned with what happened to magic and the wisdom of the ancients once science and reason became the dominant paradigm. As a student of the Mysteries, it is a subject close to my heart.

With respect to the audiobook, it was an incredible immersive experience. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a highly acclaimed actor and his rich voice was the perfect vehicle to capture the powerful images of Piranesi’s world and drawing the listener skilfully through its labyrinthine narrative. It was a sublime experience.

Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for providing me with a copy of the audiobook of Piranesi in return for an honest review.

This is probably the most incredible audiobook I’ve ever listened to. The story is a beautiful and intricately woven masterpiece and the narration was perfect. The narrator’s voice and dictation fit perfectly and enhanced the reading experience. I completely believed that it was Piranesi who was narrating his own story.

I loved listening to this book so much that I have purchased the hardback version so I can experience it all over again.

A fascinating tale of other world theories, conspiracies and cruelty juxtaposed with gentleness and kindness this is a thing of great beauty.

Firstly, Chiwetel Ejiofor is a remarkable narrator leading you through the complex storyline with ease and a soothing rhythm that transports you into Piranesi's world. The constant wave like quality of the prose draws you in and immerses you in the fantastical world of 'The Other'.
Although the themes of the novel are clearly philosophical and science fiction in nature, all assumptions should be set aside as you will not have read a book with which to compare this to. Piranesi's journey to the truth is utterly compelling and mysterious - in the vein of a detective story.
This book does take work and needs patience as the tale unfolds, but ultimately your perseverance will be rewarded (if slightly too neatly)..

Piranesi lives in a labyrinth that he names The House. This wondrous vault of unending halls and vestibules is filled with oceans in the lower floors and clouds rolling along the ceilings. Piranesi spends his days in The House journaling, logging and recording the world in which he resides. He monitors the tides, the birds that visit and the statues that so beautifully adorn every corner of this strange and mysterious place. The only person Piranesi sees in The House is The Other who visits twice a week to discuss the Great And Secret Knowledge that he searches for within the world that Piranesi inhabits. One day a stranger arrives, known only as Number 16, and questions start to arise about the true nature of the labyrinth and Piranesi's place there.
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This book was full of so many delicious details and it drew me right into a fantastical land that felt like I was walking in a dream. I listened to the audiobook and I would definitely recommend it as a way to fully submerge yourself into the world that Susanna Clark has built. The character of Piranesi is adorable. I became attached to him very quickly and I was enthralled with every word he had to say. Even when he is documenting something as simple as how much seaweed he has gathered from the seashores to use for fire kindling I was still hooked. He was a man with a job to do but a job that he loved doing and it was a privilege that he is the person chosen to do this. The mystery surrounding the world and it's inhabitants was strong enough to hold my interest and I loved how it became a story of memory and imagination. A mind can be bent, twisted, changed sometimes for bad but often for good. A truly insightful read and I think if you loved The Starless Sea you would find this to be a real treat.

This was a surprising book to listen to. I do not say this lightly because, in the beginning, we are treated to exquisitely minute detail about the surroundings our lead protagonist finds himself in. This is almost a monologue and quite earnestly provided, making it all the harder to completely absorb. This made me assume that the story will progress in the pedantic tone, and I would not actually find my way to the end of the story. One of the main reasons I finally liked the experience was because of how the story suddenly turned on its head. I must also say that this is a review of the audiobook listened to at 1.25x to 1.5x speeds based on where in the story I was. I am pretty confident a physical copy would have(unfortunately) lost me partway into the first few chapters.


Our man (for the lack of a better context) is called Piranesi by the ‘other’ but does not think it is his actual name. He lives in a house with many rooms and spends his time cataloguing them all. He has a profound and primal connection to the place and lives his life with all that the house offers him. A few jolts are in store in this seemingly tedious experience (as some are also wont to describe their own homes in 2020). We do not know whom to believe and how much of it at that. The ending should have been dissatisfying, but given the content, I could not think of a more appropriate way to tie up the ends.


It is a blend of Sci-fi and fantasy and cannot be read by anyone expecting a straightforward narrative. I did try to pick up the author’s previous work but never got around to reading it, the size put me off. I am glad I got a chance to listen to this one though! The narration was perfect for the entire book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

This is an exceptional book that I am still thinking hard about. Listening to it was a very beautiful, strange and endearing experience. It is the story of a character called Piranesi who wanders alone through an amazing world of infinite halls filled with statues, a world that also contains an ocean, tides, and human remains. His only friend is ‘the Other’, a sinister character who possesses a shiny gadget.
To say more would spoil the story, but I have since sought out interviews with the author and loved her references to C S Lewis’s Narnia, especially the kindly, endearing Mr Tumnus. The quote at the book’s opening is from Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew and suggest the idea that there may be parallel worlds reached by what we call magic. Piranesi’s name also links the book to the Italian painter Piranesi and his nightmare visions of vast labyrinthine prisons. A final suggestion in letting your imagination play with this story is Plato's Allegory of the Cave in which a character, possessing no knowledge of the outside world, is imprisoned within a dark cave with nothing but shadows from his fire, reflections of the actual world, projected on the cave wall. I loved it, it is truly imaginative and visionary and in a world of increasingly formulaic books, not like anything else I’ve ever read before.
For information: This Christmas I was asked to recommend my best reads on a public library podcast and was glad to recommend it as one of my two best books of the year.

I really liked the first half of the book, it as strange mysterious and magical. The house and his environment as really well described. I loved getting to know this world an his secrets. but halfway true i did get a bit bored. The main character is a scientist and we get to know this story true his journals. And after the first half thats got a bit boring for me, but thats probably more due to the scientist vieuw, im more of a flull person. It absolutely didnt had anything to do with the writing. It still think its really well written and the writer does keep you wandering.

The end was as a expected and was quite abrupt to me. Although it still was an enjoying story. And if u like a magical word with a scientific aproach your gonna loves this!

Ive listend to the audio book, and i thought the narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor was such a good fit for this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury UK Audio for Gifting me this audiobook in return of an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! I knew going in it was going to be a complicated and complex tale from reading reviews, and I am glad I was prepared to be confused for the first part of the book, as at first the reader is given very little clue as to what is going on.

In the second half, or perhaps last third, the pace ramps up and we are given all the answers so we don’t have to stay confounded for long. By the end it almost feels like a crime novel, but it is of course so much more.

Piranesi, the narrator is a wonderful addition as he is naive yet thirsting for knowledge, sweet yet resilient and stubborn yet caring. He shows that mankind can be kind and appreciate our surroundings and look after our environment and be the happier for it.

I buddy read this with a friend and we both loved it, and discussing it along the way was perfect.

The narration was perfection, highly recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me the audio book in exchange for an honest review. I also read it on paper, and recommend both ways of reading this.

I absolutely loved this book – probably my favourite book of the year? Literary escapism, and mind-expanding. The narration was also perfect – Chiwetel Ejiofor was very convincing as the confused, good-natured protagonist, and has a lovely, reassuring voice. Although it's a different narrator to Clarke's first book (Simon Prebble, I think?) the two men's voices have, I think, a similar timbre, which added to my sense of this book adding to Clarke's body of work.

I'll be including the book in my round-up of my favourite novel of 2020 in Five Books (which currently has around 600,000+ readers a month) and mentioning in that article that I consumed the book as an audiobook, and why I recommend that.

Like so many others, I was intrigued to see what Susanna Clarke's second novel would be like, and I am happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It tells the story of Piranesi who lives in the house, maintaining the statues and keeping track of the ebb and flow of the tides, ensuring to keep his regular meetings with the Other and recording everything in his numbered journals. An intentionally vague synopsis, because the beauty of this story is the way in which it unravels and peels back upon itself in layers as you progress through the narrative, in much the same way as Piranesi discovers more and more about the house as he goes on. I loved Piranesi as a protagonist. He is precise and quite snippy, but with a deep love of the house and the statues he looks after. Considering himself a rational being, he records everything carefully, but loses track of time on occasion. I loved the magic in this novel. It has an authenticity to it that conjures images of stately men in stately robes performing rituals, which makes it feel grounded in reality in a surprising way. I thought that Chiwetel Ejiofor was the perfect choice as narrator for the audiobook, as his voice lent a gravity to the narrative that it so richly deserved. Overall, I would say that this book is not for everyone - its ambiguity will definitely put some people off, but for those who can just go with the narrative and let things be revealed as they go, there is much to enjoy here.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book starts out strange with lengthy and confusing descriptions of his world with its never-ending halls, vestibules and statues. It was a bit of a struggle to push through this opening (don’t get too hung up on the dates or the many numbered halls) but it was well worth it as it spooled into a thrilling mystery. When messages appear on the walls and lost texts found, the peaceful life Piranesi has in the house is disrupted. I was immediately gripped and could not put this book down until the truth of the house was revealed.

Clarke’s writing is beautiful, and I was mesmerised by the many clever details she was able to pack into such a small book. The character of Piranesi is entirely too charming and as The Other scornfully points out, a true romantic. He dedicates himself to witnessing the beauty the house has blessed him with and takes care of the dead within the house. The narrator Chiwetel Ejiofor captures the peaceful yet inquisitive voice of Piranesi perfectly.

I was entirely delighted by this book and while it tells many horrible fates I too like Piranesi couldn’t help but love the strange yet beautiful house of statues. Strange yet captivating, Piranesi is a must read for any fans of Erin Morgenstern or Bridget Collins.

Thank you to Bloomsbury UK Audio and NetGalley for providing me a free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was highly anticipated but, for me, did not live up to expectation. The first third of the book or so seems to spend so much time setting a scene which felt onerous and, as a result, this was a difficult listen despite Chiwetel Ejiofor's beautiful narration.

The writing style feels overly complex and comes across as though a thesaurus has been used on more than one occasion. This, coupled with Clarke's tendency to use five words where two could have been used massively detracted from a story which seemed interesting enough, if perhaps, paced badly.

You know what text this book recalled constantly to my mind? Ovid's Metamorphoses: the transformative theme, the shifting stories, the series of ecphrases (the textual descriptions of works of art, here mostly statues), the prevalence of intertextuality (from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Robinson Crusoe to the classical myths of the labyrinth at Knossos (where Piranesi is minotaur, Theseus and Ariadne), all the way through to a dizzying mash-up of Plato's myth of the cave with modern tales of abduction and imprisonment.

That Clarke manages to synchronise such a wide-ranging and eclectic set of references to create something that is ludicrously gripping while also being beautiful and intriguing is a testament to her control over her material as well as an inventive creativity.

This is a story where it's best not to know too much before going in (though I was slightly disappointed that I could foresee the direction of the storyline at about 20%) but I'd say that it's multilayered enough to offer up all kinds of pleasures beyond the surface plot. Indeed, in a year where we've all been forced back into various levels of solitude and interiority, this feels like an entirely apposite tale for 2020.

With issues of identity, perception, reality and the surreal, good and evil, solitude and salvation, the comforts of art, and a narrative awash with stunning images (the coral-clad girl whose fingers are flowers and leaves, the faun talking to a girl in the woods, the star-lit halls, the sea in the labyrinth), this manages to be both a compulsive piece of story-telling and something more thoughtful, even philosophical.

I listened to the audiobook beautifully read by Chiwetel Ejiofor with sensitivity and without over-performing. Gorgeous, compelling and moving.

Piranesi is the beloved child of the house. It nurtures and protects him, and the house, as far as he can tell, is the whole world. Its dilapidated halls are full of marble statues. Waves crash in the lower halls and the upper halls are full of clouds, rain falls in the stairwells. Aside from Piranesi there is only one other living person in the house, the other, whom Piranesi assists in his quest for the great and true knowledge. But Piranesi does not really believe in the great and true knowledge. He believes in the house, the house is everything, the house is enough. He eats fish and selfish from the lower halls and catches rainwater to drink. He tenderly cares for the dead, the 13 sets of skeletal remains that he finds in the house, as he travels great distances along labyrinthine corridors. The house is his home.
Piranesi is very surprised when the other reveals that there is another person in the world and they mean him harm, they mean to send him mad. Then messages start appearing that will bring Piranesi's ordered world crashing down.
I must admit that when I first read about this book I did not fancy it at all. It seemed too odd and a little pompous, but I kept hearing about it and and so when I was offered the chance by netgalley to listen to and review the audiobook I jumped at it, and I am glad I did. I really loved this book, right from the start.. It very quickly put me in mind of Jorge Luis Borges crazy complex magical realism, except, at least at first, this book had much less realism. Our narrator is Piranesi himself, through his highly organised journals, and it is that clarity and organisation of thought that stops this complex world from becoming overwhelming. In the first half of the book we explore the world through Piranesi's eyes, the wonders of the house are revealed to us. The second half of the book is more plot driven as Piranesi reaches for the truth. This was a very satisfying read, never dull, full of surprises, and really made me think. I have already recommended it to a couple of people.

Audio arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review





Audio review first - I liked the narrator. He had a real feel for Clarke's prose and brought the (very small) cast of character's to life with aplomb.





As to the story, overall I liked it. It seems redundant to say 'this is not Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell', and yet I am saying it because what put this book on my radar and made it one of my most anticipated reads of 2020 was my great love for Clarke's previous doorstep of regency magic and politics. I did not expect this to be connected in any way - and yet I was on some level expecting something in the same vein, despite knowing how unreasonable it is to expect authors to keep writing the same sorts of stories.



Piranesi a thought experiment, an extended metaphor and a story. It's a slim read with a small cast, set in what appears to be a labyrinth. The titular character refers to it as 'the house' which he acknowledges is the same as the world. For him, this huge 'house' - comprised of various classical interconnecting structures against which the sea washes and floods and retreats - is the boundaries of his world. There's a beautiful line near the beginning which cements his character firmly in the reader's mind; Piranesi is determined to explore as much of the world as he can in his lifetime. And that's it. In terms of a narrative, an MC usually has to want something. That's the basic plot from which all others are descended - someone wants something and gets it, or doesn't; here's the story. Piranesi doesn't actually want anything. He is absolutely certain of his place in the world as the 'beloved child of the house'. It provides him with the means of providing for himself and he lives a life of exploration, taking time to honour the bones of the dead and explore the strange and beautiful rooms and halls and vestibules with childlike wonder. His greatest aim is simply to be and to appreciate.



Ordinarily, this would mean that there wasn't much story because an MC who doesn't actually want anything, doesn't have to grow or change or follow a narrative arc. However, there is another person in the house - the Other. The Other and Piranesi are friends. Piranesi helps him with his scientific research, since the Other is seeking secret knowledge of great power. It's the wants and desires of the Other which drive Piranesi on his arc to discover whether he truly is who he believes himself to be.



I don't want to give spoilers. I've seen this described as twisty and mind bendy - and I think if you haven't encountered the idea of internal reality and selective perception in conjunction with portal travel or parallel worlds, then it probably is. I found I worked a lot of it out very early on but then the point of the story wasn't the mystery. The point I think, was how we all create prisons for ourselves. Sometimes these are prisons of ambition or greed or the desire for power. Sometimes these prisons are literal. Conversely, we all have the capability to reach for freedom instead. Both imprisonment and freedom will look different to different individuals. The clue is in the title, of course, since Giovanni Battista Piranesi is remembered for his <i>Carceri d'invenzione</i> (imaginary prisons) as well as his archaeology.



This is clever, evocative and beautifully written (Would we expect any less of Clarke?) It has a lot to say about the condition and resilience of the human spirit. Piranesi himself is an innocent in many ways, and Clarke pulls off the trick of keeping the audience more in the know than the MC. It's certainly an engaging read. You can probably hear the unspoken 'but' so here it is: on some level I was hoping for a something more like Strange and Norrell. Obviously that's on me. I didn't love this book but I did like it and I found it though provoking and subtle. I would still recommend it to those who enjoy quiet thinking fantasy.

The audiobook version of Clarke's Piranesi, read by Chiwetel Ejiofor, is easily in my top 3 of favourite audiobooks.
Ejiofor's voice is warm and comforting, well-paced and well-emoted- a really perfect narrator for a basically perfect book.
I really loved the book, also. I loved sweet, naive Piranesi and his voice, his order and rationality and his journal entries. The plot is small, simple and self-contained but the grandeur and brilliance of the setting made me feel like this was a more substantial novel. It was atmospheric, thrilling, almost a psychological thriller, really, than a full blown fantasy. Listening at nighttime, I was unnerved at times. All the clues and all the answers were satisfying and I finished the book feeling like I'd had a large, 'nourishing meal' (to borrow Piranesi's phrase). There are multiple allusions, thematic interpretations and theories floating just beneath the surface so the brevity of the novel is decieving. Don't expect flowery or gorgeous writing but do expect an evocation of setting and space that transports you clearly to another world. Clarke made me see an amazing other world with just a few simple sentences.
I haven't read Clarke's other novel so I can't compare between the two - but I really did enjoy listening to this one.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke is one of the most engaging, strange and fascinating books I've read (*listened to*) this year.

Piranesi is an enigma. Piranesi is a riddle. Piranesi is a mystery. A man without a past and with a present punctuated by the changing of the tides.

You have to be patient. Explore every corner of the maze before you can find your way out.

And once you found it...

Just one listen wasn't enough for me. I can't wait to press play again and get lost in the brilliant narration of Susanna Clark all over again and the fantastic voice of Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Thank you to Bloomsburypublishing and Netgalley for this amazing audiobook.
A physical copy may soon appear on my shelf.