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48 pages 1 hour read

Susanna Clarke

Piranesi

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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Book Club Questions

Piranesi

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

  • Piranesi is set in a portal universe, where the narrator lives in a labyrinthine space that can be accessed from present-day London. How does it compare to other portal stories you know (like The Chronicles of Narnia, for example?)
  • Was this your first Susanna Clarke novel? If not, how did your feelings about Piranesi differ from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell or The Ladies of Grace Adieu?
  • Did the book meet your expectations based on the description? What surprised you? 

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

  • The narrator has different identities depending on his mental state and who he interacts with—he is born Matthew Rose Sorenson, but Ketterley names him Piranesi, and he struggles to return to his old identity at the end of the book. Do you relate to this idea of fractured identities, that who we are is shaped by external forces?
  • The novel is told through letters and diary entries. Does the epistolary format help you relate to the narrator? Did you find his thought processes frustrating or understandable?
  • Although Piranesi is set in a fantastical world where magic and other dimensions are real, it also draws on real-life settings and power dynamics, like those between teachers and students. Do any of the characters or plot points remind you of people you know or situations you’ve been in? 
  • Why do you think the narrator finds comfort in caring for and honoring the bones of those who died in the labyrinth?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

  • Why do you think that Piranesi is able to survive so long in the labyrinth? What does this say about his character in comparison to Ketterley’s and the idea of adapting to/honoring one’s environment?
  • Why does Ketterley (or Arne-Sayles before him) feel entitled to tricking and exploiting others? What does this say about the nature of power?
  • What does the book’s plot have to say about the nature of academia?

4. Literary Analysis 

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

  • How does Piranesi relate to other labyrinth narratives you might know, like the ancient Greek myth of the minotaur or Jorge Luis Borges’s short stories? What do you think the labyrinth represents in Piranesi?
  • Ketterley, despite having modern technology (like a raft and a gun) and more knowledge than Piranesi, is killed by the house’s waters. What does this say about his character? Why is it significant that he’s killed in a flood?
  • What do you think of Piranesi’s dating system? Do these dates add to the narrative’s tone? Are they easy to keep track of? What does this system say about the nature of time?
  • Ketterley names the narrator Piranesi after Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an 18th-century Italian artist. Look up Piranesi’s “Carceri d'invenzione” (“Imaginary Prisons”) drawings. How does this allusion inform the story? How do these drawings compare with how you imagined the setting?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

  • Imagine you were adapting Piranesi into a film. Who would you cast in the major roles? How might you convey different elements of the story since so much of it deals with the narrator’s interiority?

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