Piranesi lives within the House, a labyrinth of endless vestibules and staircases where the lower halls flood with tides and the upper reaches are filled with clouds. He logs his days in journals, cataloging thousands of white marble statues and surviving on fish and seaweed. His only human contact is a man he calls The Other, who enlists Piranesi’s help to locate A Secret Knowledge hidden within the architecture. As Piranesi discovers messages from a third person and uncovers fragments of a past life, he realizes the House is not his entire world but a prison or a sanctuary linked to our own.
Readers of atmospheric fantasy and epistolary mysteries will find a study of isolation and the psychological effects of memory loss. The narrative provides a lesson in radical observation and contentment within a restricted environment. Readers finish the book with an understanding of how academic obsession can lead to moral decay, contrasted against a protagonist who maintains his integrity by viewing his surroundings as a benevolent, living entity rather than a puzzle to be solved.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
Insights from Piranesi
“The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.”
Finding beauty in a lonely place doesn't mean you're crazy. Piranesi treats those endless marble halls like a gift because he chooses to see the world as kind.
“I am the Beloved Child of the House.”
Naming things gives you a sense of belonging. He keeps such careful notes on the birds and the tides just to feel less like a ghost.
“He sees the House as a labyrinth to be conquered.”
Pure curiosity can be dangerous when it lacks a conscience. The Other only sees the House as a puzzle to solve or a power to steal.
“I am not the person I was.”
Memory is what keeps us whole. When he starts forgetting his own life, he loses the ability to tell what's real from what's a lie.
- Published
- 2020
- Publisher
- Editura Nemira
- ISBN
- 9786064309402
- Language
- EN
