Piranesi
4.4 | 42,034 ratings
Price: 14.39
Last update: 03-02-2026
Product details
- ASIN : B0865TSTWM
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
- Accessibility :
- Publication date : September 15, 2020
- Edition : 1st
- Language : English
- File size : 2.1 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 249 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-1635575644
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank:#13 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Magical Realism
- Dark Fantasy Horror
- Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Literary Fiction
- Customer Reviews:4.44.4 out of 5 stars(42,034)
PiranesiTop reviews from the United States
- D. SmithThe Book That Gaslights You Into Loving ItPiranesi by Susanna Clarke the novel that asks, "What if we took a guy, stuck him in an impossible house, gave him amnesia, and made readers spend 200 pages figuring out what literally everyone else understood by page 30?" It's like a mystery box where the mystery is less "whodunit" and more "why is our protagonist the last person to realize he's been had?"
Let's talk about our narrator, Piranesi (spoiler: not his real name, but he doesn't know that because of course he doesn't). He's living his best life in a House of infinite halls and statues, journaling about tides and birds with the enthusiasm of someone who's never heard of Netflix. He's got a whole routine going—mapping rooms, cataloging statues, befriending birds, avoiding floods. It's all very Walden Pond meets The Twilight Zone, and he's utterly convinced this is normal.
The writing is gorgeous in that specific way that makes you feel like you're reading someone's really pretentious dream journal. Everything is Capitalized for Importance. The House. The Sea. The Other. Clarke has created a narrator so earnest and sincere that you almost feel bad for him as he cheerfully describes his captivity like it's a quirky lifestyle choice.
And then there's "The Other" the only other person Piranesi sees regularly, who shows up to ask cryptic questions and is so obviously sinister that you'll spend half the book wanting to reach through the pages and shake our protagonist while screaming "DUDE, READ THE ROOM. LITERALLY. READ ANY ROOM IN THIS WEIRD HOUSE."
The pacing is... deliberate. Clarke takes her sweet time letting you piece together what's happening, which is either masterful atmospheric storytelling or the literary equivalent of watching someone fail to solve a puzzle you finished an hour ago. Your mileage will vary depending on whether you enjoy feeling smugly ahead of the protagonist or prefer everyone to be confused together.
But here's the thing that's infuriating: it works. The slow reveal is actually kind of perfect. The House is legitimately enchanting and creepy. Piranesi himself is impossibly likable despite being aggressively oblivious. And when the pieces finally click together, there's a genuine emotional payoff that sneaks up and punches you right in the feelings.
The problem? It's short enough that you'll finish it in one sitting, but slow enough that you'll spend the first half wondering if you're missing something or if Clarke is just really committed to the bit. (It's the latter. She's very committed.)
Perfect for readers who enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell but wished it was shorter and weirder. Also perfect for people who like their fantasy served with a side of existential dread and architectural impossibility.
Side effects may include: an irrational desire to live in a mysterious house, trust issues with anyone who asks you philosophical questions, and the sudden urge to start capitalizing random Nouns in your own Writing.
Bottom line: It's a beautiful, strange little book about memory, identity, and what happens when you're too pure-hearted to realize you're trapped. You'll either love it immediately or spend 100 pages going "is this it?" before suddenly, unexpectedly, loving it anyway.
Clarke remains the queen of making you wait for it. And annoyingly, it's worth the wait. - BDeLoachStrange, charming, thought provoking and quite lovelyStrange, charming, thought provoking and quite lovely. Starts quite odd and a bit slow as your narrator is meticulously explaining his unusual world to you. But then the mystery of it all begins to engage you, and it becomes a quick and enjoyable little read. And although Piranesi seems quite naive and childlike early on, by the end of it you just want to spend more time with him. And the mystery (albeit quite engaging) is secondary to Piranesi’s unique and thoughtful views of life and the world.
Overall, book presentation is lovely, and the story makes for a pleasant yet thoughtful weekend read. - oknazarethThis one left me speechless…Please bear with me, this will be long and a little spoilery
I went into Piranesi knowing nothing, and I’m glad I did. I think that’s the only way this book should be read. What followed felt less like reading a book and more like slowly waking up inside a dream I didn’t know I was having.
Every page felt like a revelation, yet the truth stayed out of reach. I was mystified, hypnotized. The House was a world of marble and ocean and impossible beauty, and I didn’t know whether to picture it as a vast temple or a decaying castle—but I felt it. The statues felt like memories I’d never had.
Around 21%, I began to suspect the truth: that Piranesi was trapped, that The Other was no friend. But by then, I already cared for him—so deeply, so protectively. I didn’t understand him but I admired the way he loved his world with quiet reverence, how he found the silence to be a sacred thing. At 39%, the anxiety set in. He was trapped. I knew it. But how do you escape a prison you think is paradise? The beauty was laced with unease.
From that moment on, through all the unraveling, what stayed with me most was Piranesi’s quiet resilience. The pain of remembering. The gentleness in the face of confusion. The way he tried to hold on to his wonder even as it slipped through his fingers.
But then came the ending. And I was wrecked in a whole new way. The layers of grief, identity, healing—it’s staggering. I could cry again just thinking about it.
Susanna Clarke didn’t just tell a story, she rebuilt my sense of reality. Piranesi is about madness, isolation, wonder, and the sacred. It’s about how the modern world forgets what’s important, and how we sometimes have to lose ourselves to see it again. Every detail is a quiet masterstroke. - AmberAllBookedPiranesi: A Captivating and Unforgetable Read⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Piranesi is a short, but captivating story told through Piranesi's journal entries as he discovers who he is and the true nature of The House where he lives.
I give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for it's blend of immersive world building and narrative suspense that pulls you into its mythical yet eerie space. When Piranesi's predictable and unquestioned reality is disrupted by the discovery of a new person, he begins to question his memory, sanity, and identity as he encounters fragments of forgotten knowledge.
The deliberate pacing and steady building of tension along with its immersive setting makes this an unforgettable story of what it means to be human, and will push you to question your own perceptions as you unravel the mystery of Piranesi alongside him. Just like Piranesi, you will find yourself obsessed with finding answers, and you will feel all of the emotions and fears that Piranesi feels with each discovery.
Read this book for the immersive world that is The House, enjoy the mystery as it unfolds, and be sure to have post-its nearby to flag any clues and for returning to the absolute beauty that is Piranesi's soul. This story will stick with you, and I think you will find your mind returning to The House long after you've finished the book.