Piranesi
Piranesi is a book, and world, that exudes ambience. It transports you to this dream like world of infinite halls and statues. A sort of vaporwave aestheticist's dream. The book is told through the journal entries of Piranesi, someone who has always lived in this world but has little memory of their past. Being a "native" to these corridors, she's found unique ways to survive, and has learned the ins and outs of this place's strange patterns. So much so, that she has become a researcher in her own right, writing down all of her findings and thoughts into her journal, the very book you are reading.
The book is a good read, not great. I'm not a big fan of epistolary stories, ones that are told through documents, journal entries, etc. Despite that, the world itself and some of the mysteries at play were enough to see me through to the end. If there is one thing Piranesi nails, it is the atmosphere of it all. Sometimes serene, enchanting, and othertimes uneasy or liminal. The image of this world comes to my mind often, even when I'm not thinking about the book itself.
It's not a very long read. Even if these stories aren't your usual thing, I'd still recommend it to anyone that doesn't mind a slow burn and is open to trying new things. There are parts of this book, such as "The Other", that I didn't touch on because they weren't what stood out to me most with this book. Check out the "Back of the Book" Overview below to get a glimpse into that side of the story.
Piranesi gets three stars from me!
"Back of the Book" Overview
Piranesi's house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls lined with thousands upon thousands of statues. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; and waves thunder up staircases, while rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.