Escaping Piranesi

When reading fantasy novels, it’s hard to resist the urge to be ensnared by the details. On the surface, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke seems like a simple story that follows the life of a boy trapped within a labyrinth. The beginning of the novel is comforting and familiar, resembling a mix of Daedalus's labyrinth and Robinson Crusoe. It wasn’t long before I fell victim to the vivid descriptions, becoming engrossed in how each statue in each hall paved the path to Piranesi finding his real identity. Luckily, Clake mitigates this large amount of information by only mentioning two characters: Piranesi and the Other. 

As the story progressed, and more details regarding Piranesi’s character are revealed, I began wondering if all those details were even important. Was the description of a “Gardener digging and in the Nineteenth South-Eastern Hall,” juxtaposed with a “Gardener pruning a Rose Bush in a different hall,” supposed to contrast the difference in the halls? Or was Clarke simply adding the detail to highlight the numerous statues in the house? However, these seemingly unrelated features severe a larger purpose in the grand scheme. In the story, Piranesi is unknowingly trapped within the house, and the vast stimulus in his environment is what keeps him from seeking an escape. He becomes obsessed with keeping detailed records of every hall and is “determined to explore as much of the World in [his] lifetime.”

Reading Piranesi is like collecting scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, nothing can be pieced together until you look at the bigger picture. Every detail in the story seemingly serves a distinct purpose. Even the title and main character of the book are allusions to the 18th-century Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who painted a series of prints titled Imaginary Prisons. Each of the 16 prints showcases large interconnected stairs and machines that make up the inescapable labyrinth that Piranesi inhabits. All in all, Piranesi is a novel that transcends the page and places readers directly into a neverending maze.