“Perhaps that is what it is like being with other people. Perhaps even people you like and admire immensely can make you see the World in ways you would rather not. Perhaps that is what Raphael means.”
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, a Venetian artist and architect, lived in 1700s Italy and is famous for his Caceri or Prisons series of prints that depict strange, impossible, labyrinthine structures.
I've done a little bit of internet research and discovered this great video that epitomises his work.
Piranesi Carceri d'Invenzione from Grégoire Dupond on Vimeo.
Much like the eponymous artist, Piranesi is a fantastically puzzling tale that twists and turns through a strange world before its secrets are revealed. I have to admit it took a long time to acclimatise with the world building of the novel and my confusion and sense of displacement was mirrored by the protagonist in a novel and impressively rendered manner.
Patience they say is a virtue... so hold on tight, keep your mind open and keep reading.This one is definitely a slow build, but worth it. Unlike the absolutely weighty tome that was Jonathan Strange and Mr Norris by the same author, Piranesi is a relatively quick read at under three hundred pages. The rather large gap between novels attributed to the author's ill health according to this interview I tracked down online. I sincerely hope her health improves and we can enjoy more wonderful works in the future.
5 out of 5, disappear into another world.
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