Piranesi

 Book Title: Piranesi

Author: Susanne Clarke

Date Started: July 27th 2021

Date Completed: July 29th 2021

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Piranesi was a lot of fun, and a way quicker read than I had expected. Full of intrigue, wonder and a lot of good characterisation, while it isn't quite the masterpiece some sell it is, it's a very well-crafted piece of fiction.

Overall, the book is well-paced and planned. Clarke puts a lot of thought into building tone and atmosphere, without overdoing the description. A great deal of this story relies on picturing the House and the things Piranesi comes across, and Clarke pulls it off with very succinct prose. Piranesi himself is a bit of an idiot but he's balanced well with his kind-heartedness. And who doesn't love a book that can pull off mysterious puzzles where the audience are invited along to solve what's happening themselves.

The best way to go into this is without knowing much about the story, but the tone is definitely more towards The Secret History meets Circe meets The Maze Runner (I seemed to have it in my head that it was a classical retelling, perhaps from the cover and marketing).