My New Friend, "PIRANESI" by Susanna Clarke

 

Me and my new friend, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

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Hi. My name is Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. So, for example, if I were in a mysterious, magical house where I only ever talked to statues and birds, so long as I had books, I would probably be fine. 

Probably. 

Which brings me to my new friend, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This was a long-awaited comeback novel for Clarke, since her very successful (and very big) Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell arrived in 2004. Piranesi, for most folks, was worth the wait. Much slimmer than her previous novel (Piranesi clocks in at 245 pages), but not less magical. For me, it created a different impact I wasn't expecting. 

ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

It is difficult to talk about Piranesi in heavy detail without giving too much away. It concerns our narrator, who tells us his story through journal entries marked in a calendar he created, who lives in a strange, magical house that is his entire world. To his knowledge, there is only one other living person in this universe who he calls "the Other". The Other calls him Piranesi, but our narrator is pretty sure this is not his name. 

This magical house is filled with statues, but it also has an Ocean and Tides, and Clouds and rain. Piranesi, as he is called, survives by fishing, gathering seaweed both for food and fuel, and spends his days wandering the almost infinite rooms and hallways, keeping notes. He meets with the Other twice a week, who he believes is a scientist, and who is working on cracking the code for the Great and Secret Knowledge. 

The house, like the book, is a labyrinth and a puzzle. The book engages the reader by slowly and precisely unravelling the mystery of the House, and of the man called Piranesi. 

TAKEAWAYS

Piranesi won the Women's Prize for Fiction, and I can understand why. It is brilliantly written, incredibly smart and creative, and Clarke is both a top notch storyteller and writer (which, yes, are two different things). 

I was told that the book was very enjoyable and magic and fun and that I should read it. And yes, I found it magical in many ways, and enjoyable in many places... 

But I think it hit me differently than it did many people. Stop reading here if you don't want to hear my emotional response to the ending. I will not spell out what happens, but I am going to be very specific about how it made me feel.  Okay? So stop reading if you worry this may spoil things for  you---

I ultimately found Piranesi to be a tragedy in a way. Not a full-blown tragedy. There is hope, I suppose, and there isn't a bit ol' body count or anything. But the ending made me incredibly sad. The message, for me, ultimately was about how sometimes people must completely disassociate to survive, completely lose themselves and their very identity, as well as their memories. That in specific, traumatic situations, you must almost start over with a blank slate if you are going to make it. In short, you get lost. And even if you're found, you are never completely the same. There is a part of you that is still lost, and will always be lost. 

And that made me sad. 

Still, it is a masterful book and you should read it if you get a chance. 

My New Friend, "CONCRETE ROSE" by Angie Thomas

 

Me and my new friend, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Hi. I'm Bobby Keniston, and my only friends are books. Don't feel bad about that. Books always got my back. 

And today, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas. Published in 2021, Concrete Rose  is a companion piece to Thomas's brilliant The Hate U Give. I say companion piece, though one would be correct to call it a prequel--- I just truly think people should read The Hate U Give first.  

HOW I MET MY NEW FRIEND

Like so many other humans, I read The Hate U Give and was blown away by the writing, the characters, and, of course, the importance of the topic. When I heard Angie Thomas had written a book about Maverick Carter, the father of Starr Carter from Hate, I knew I had to check it out. Maverick is a great father to Starr, and while we learn somewhat about his past in Hate, it is a whole new experience to go through the events of his life with him in this first-person narrative as he navigates the rough waters of being seventeen, a reluctant gang member, and a young father. 

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY NEW FRIEND

Angie Thomas proves once again that she is a master of creating a compelling first-person narrative voice, as well as humanizing characters that many people would simply leave as stereotypes. In this book, she also evokes a precise sense of time and place. 

It is so easy for us --- especially white politicians is seems---- to condemn the choices of poor communities populated by people of color. These same people making judgements project expectations, and label people as though they were nothing but a product to sort. What Thomas does with Maverick is give a us a very human view of what causes the desperation that leads to choices that others so easily judge with a dismissive wave of the hand. Thomas show us how society creates the very mold of these stereotypes and willingly shoves a large portions of the population into it.

In many ways, this story is about Maverick Carter starting to believe he has worth, starting to believe he does not have to fulfill the expectations that the outside world has thrust upon him. We see him understand what it means to become a father, even as a teenager, and how that gives him a sense of purpose. We see his reaction to death and tragedy, and to the hope from those willing to give him a chance. 

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

Go to the bookstore, or your local library, and pick up both The Hate U Give and Concrete Rose and read them back to back. Both books are likely to be challenged in several areas of our United States, which should tell you just how important it is to read them. 

Thank, Angie Thomas, for using your gifts to change the world one reader at a time.