Piranesi

Piranesi is mysterious in a way that almost feels like its own genre.

From the beginning, I just wanted to know what was happening. It was addictive and honestly cured my reading slump.

This is the kind of book where you know some twist is going to come, but you can't guess what it will be or when it will happen. I love how unpredictable it is.

Towards the end, the puzzle starts to come together, page by page, chapter by chapter. The last 30 pages were such a masterpiece in writing. Everything just comes together so beautifully.

I loved Piranesi as a character. He has such a good and kind heart, and there's something so innocent about the way he sees the world, almost like a child.

Following his journey felt like I was exploring a foreign mind that somehow still felt very relatable.

I wish we got a little more about how Piranesi came to be. We understand what happened to him, but I wanted to know more about the process of how he gradually became Piranesi and lost his previous sense of identity.

It didn't really affect how much I loved the book, but I was curious about that part and wish it had been explored a little more.

I loved it! When I finished the book, I immediately needed to grab my laptop because I had to note down my thoughts.

I had deeply entered Piranesi's way of seeing the world without even realising it. I accepted his reality because it was the reality he knew until the book made me step outside of it. Towards the end, when the story started bringing me back into the perspective I knew, I realised just how attached I had become to the way he understood himself and the House.

What really stayed with me was how thought-provoking it became, especially towards the end. The identity, the memories, the sense of self... there's just so much to think about.

Is the separation of mind also a separation of identity? If the mind is separated, does that make it a separate person? Where is the boundary of self-identity? Is it tied to the mind or the body? Or both?

There are also so many interesting metaphors for real life, especially around power and how those who hold it can control so much of your life. The Other has power because he controls the knowledge about the world outside the House and Piranesi’s past. Not only that, he has access to both worlds, while Piranesi only knows the House.

I think this imbalance in their power dynamic is shown so well, especially in how deeply it affects the person on the receiving end. The effects aren’t only physical, in terms of Piranesi not being able to get new shoes or vitamins by himself and needing them to be brought to him, but also in terms of his own self-perception. The Other has played a huge part in shaping how Piranesi understands himself and his reality. This made me think about how controlling someone's access to information can also influence their sense of reality.

After finishing this book, I felt like the world somehow felt bigger.

This book is worth every single minute of your time. I love it so much. It's definitely a 5-star read!