Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (quick review)

I bought this book literally by its cover (and back cover), not knowing the author had written at least one fantasy classic before (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I haven't read yet). I'm trying to stick to the classics but this one got me curious. Anyway, the name of the artist Piranesi and the theme interested me.

I was positively surprised by the book. At first, it seems like a relatively simple and purely dreamlike fantasy, but as we get closer to the more mundane explanations for the bizarre world the narrator lives in, we realize that the book deals with deeper themes, such as the human capacity to create and to get lost in other people's creation, childlike innocence, trauma, Stockholm syndrome, identity, the meaning of learning and memory, the contagious character of madness, and ultimately the beauty of the world and other possible worlds - and how dangerous beauty can be.

The plot - a man exploring a surrealistic, labyrinthine and nearly infinite world, almost devoid of people - is reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges (The Library of Babel, Funes, The House of Asterion etc.) and also of my own Planet Asterion (because it is also inspired by JLB, of course).

The writing is great. The book starts a bit slowly but never ceases to hold you attention. I could hardly stopped reading and finished in a day or two. The conclusion might not live up to the mystery (does it ever?), but I found it very satisfactory. It makes me wonder how much of our world - which we accept without question - is arbitrary or purely the whim of other people we barely know.

In brief: a short, excellent book that I really enjoyed. 

Highly recommended.

Is this relevant for RPGs? 

This is definitely a good source of inspiration, especially if you're into Lovecraft, Borges, surrealism, dreams (and dreamlands), mind-warping, postmodern magic, and so on. It doesn't contain big heroes, monsters, or fights. The setting, while relatively simple, is interesting and evocative.