Piranesi is a story set in a fantastical House, one that is more like a world; that has multitudes of grand rooms full of distinctive and enigmatic statutes of both creatures and people. The upper floors contain the clouds and sky, the lower floors contain the tides and seas. This story is told from the journals of a man named Piranesi, who is the keeper and primary resident of this House (he even calls himself a “beloved child of the House”), as he gradually discovers that there may be more to the House and his experiences than he realized. This book is imaginative, fresh and wondrous. The writing is lyrical and a pleasure to read. It has won several awards as well as the hearts and favour of many readers of fantasy literature. It’s very often at the top of favourite book lists. So why did I have to read it again? Why did it take me so much effort to feel the wonder?

I think it’s more about my sense of disappointment at the backstory (which I won’t spoil here) to the story. As Piranesi starts to find clues and notices incongruities between some of his experiences and what he’s written in his journal, a backstory starts to form. We readers pick up on what really happened before the story began in this book. How did Piranesi get here? What is he doing in the House? What other people were involved? What events led to this? Piranesi is a great character: he’s innocent and a bit naive (there’s a reason for that), but very intelligent and he wonders a lot about everything around him. He is scientific in the way that he figures things out, sometimes by experimenting and trying. He is resourceful (he’s managed to survive and thrive, Robinson Crusoe-like, for years within the House) and inquisitive, recording everything he knows and learns in his journals. When he starts to discover things (more accurately he realizes a lot of things that are true), we really feel and experience his eyes widening, his thoughts expanding. Clarke’s writing does an amazing job at bringing us into the mind of this character whose whole world is limited to this (arguably spacious-beyond-conception) House. When he hears words or thinks thoughts that are outside of what he knows of the world, we get to follow him draw connections and make logical leaps to pull it all together. We are teased and want to solve the mystery as much as he does. That is so delightful. Unfortunately I didn’t think that the resulting answer to all of those questions lived up to what it took to reach them.

Behind the otherworldly plot of this story, there is also the very worldly story of what actually took place. I don’t want to say more because part of that discovery is what makes this story enjoyable and intriguing. However, there were aspects of that “actual” story that ended up being kind of dark and unorthodox. For me, it wasn’t a good fit. Having those truths be the answers that we (with Piranesi) have been seeking felt like a letdown and kind of uncomfortable. It felt like the story equivalent of wearing a scratchy sweater under a finely tailored silk suit, or eating a delicious baked-from-scratch pie only to realize that some pieces of apple taste “off”. I reread this story in the hopes of discovering what makes so many fans of this book love it despite this. While I appreciated the story and writing so much more this time that it offset a lot of my previous distaste, it didn’t quite make it a five-star read.

But back to the good stuff: This book (even though it’s short) is much more about the journey than the destination. In addition to the joy of following Piranesi’s thoughts as he experiences a series of revelatory events and interactions, it’s great to read how he has interpreted the House/world around him. The narration by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (you may remember him from the movie 12 Years a Slave or, if you’re nerdy like me, Serenity) is wonderful. His voice for Piranesi is mellifluous and solid, yet he captures that innocence and kindness that is the character as well. In fact, his narration of a final epilogue scene (which was masterfully crafted by Clarke, of course) really stirred me. So, if you have already read the book in print and want to go for a reread, I heartily recommend checking out Ejiofor on the audiobook.

In the end, I am not sure if I have missed or overlooked symbolic meanings to this book (that’s a definite possibility) and maybe it’s a lot deeper than I realize. Nevertheless, the narrative that I read, the visions that it conjured, and the feelings that it evoked were wonderful anyway. Despite disappointments and misgivings that I felt about some aspects, a second read has really made me appreciate this book much more. People like to “get lost” in this story, to go with its flow, but to me it wasn’t as dreamy as that, but more like a modern fable: the story of the man who lived in a House that was more like a world. 

4 stars

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