Hey guys, I wanted to talk to some people whom have finished Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
Only read this if you have finished it.
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So, after reading this book I feel like I read a fantasy novel that actually maybe wasn’t. If that makes sense.
I got the distinct feeling in the end that we were just going through the mind of someone with split personality disorder among other disorders.
I get the feeling that number 16 is actually some kind of therapist and not a cop, that number 16 was working to bring him out of this disorder and into the real world.
The way it was described in the end where Piranesi was seeing people in the “real world” that he could link back to statues in the halls really started to make me think this even more.
I tried to read back through some stuff and I am either totally off base or Clarke really made sure to leave both avenues up for grabs. Like its actually both things. However you want to take it.
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Am I the only one that feels this way? Did everyone else just take this at face value? Am I way off base?
So many questions come to mind, like the meaning of the birds in this scenario and why they came when they did. I don’t know. What do you guys think? Was this just a fantasy book where they did somehow find a way into these halls, or was this the mind of man suffering from mental health issues?
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EDIT: Either way, this was my favorite book of the year so far. Hands down. I loved it.
by Grawbad