A review by mkw1lson
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

This is a book that I really wanted to like because I have heard so much good about it! I think it's a well-written and compelling story, I just couldn't get into it. This is a book where the main character is isolated a lot (particularly in the beginning) and you spend a lot of time in the main character's head, which is fine, but I did not find the main character particularly interesting. Worse, I realized about a quarter of the way into the book that I knew the plot twist, which made the rest of the book feel less mysterious and more... 'okay but can we just figure this out yet'. Furthermore, magical realism has never really been my favourite thing.

So, for me, this book was a bit of a chore, but I don't think that would necessarily be a common experience reading this book!