Loved the Narnia references
This book wasn't fully on my radar until I saw an Interview with Susanna, and she mentioned that she was influenced by Narnia. There was enough clues that I gathered throughout the book, the opening quote being from The Magician's Nephew, the faun, a surname, to guess that this book is actually a sequel to The Magician's Nephew, which may be my favourite and most read book in the Chronicles Of Narnia series.
I was not too familiar with the work of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (thanks Google) until I finished the book and started looking at his work. Incredibly, the depictions I had in my head of Piranesi's House in the book matched the original Piranesi's art perfectly, which just goes to show how good Susanna is at creating this strange world of roaring tides, buried secrets and ever-watchful statues.
I was so comfortable with the character, Piranesi. It felt very much like I was walking with an old friend, who was showing me around his house and his favourite statues, telling me where to stand as the tides rushed in. Despite the vastness of the house and the secrets that are unburied, Piranesi's voice and the revelations he goes through is what really stuck with me when I closed the final pages.
This is the first book of Susanna's that I've read, and I'm hoping it won't be the last. This was such a wonderfully unique story, and yet it felt as familiar as C.S. Lewis's dying world of Charn that also left a lasting impression on me. I've often found that the simplest stories are truly the best, and I'm so happy to add this book to my shelves.
I was not too familiar with the work of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (thanks Google) until I finished the book and started looking at his work. Incredibly, the depictions I had in my head of Piranesi's House in the book matched the original Piranesi's art perfectly, which just goes to show how good Susanna is at creating this strange world of roaring tides, buried secrets and ever-watchful statues.
I was so comfortable with the character, Piranesi. It felt very much like I was walking with an old friend, who was showing me around his house and his favourite statues, telling me where to stand as the tides rushed in. Despite the vastness of the house and the secrets that are unburied, Piranesi's voice and the revelations he goes through is what really stuck with me when I closed the final pages.
This is the first book of Susanna's that I've read, and I'm hoping it won't be the last. This was such a wonderfully unique story, and yet it felt as familiar as C.S. Lewis's dying world of Charn that also left a lasting impression on me. I've often found that the simplest stories are truly the best, and I'm so happy to add this book to my shelves.