I don't have much time to read these days (more like I choose other ways to spend my free time...), but I always want to do it more. During my most recent attempt, I picked up Piranesi by Susanna Clarke after a recommendation from a friend, as it is less than 300 pages. I assumed it would be a quick and easy read that would help me get back into the routine of reading. However, it turned out to have the opposite effect. Not because it was bad--in fact, I would now call it one of my favorite books of all time. No, the problem was that it was too gripping. Too all-consuming. After I put it down, I could not think about anything else, only rewind the tape of what I had just read and try to relive the feelings I had felt while reading it.
[mild spoilers ahead]
Piranesi is the best example of dramatic irony I have ever seen. At the very beginning, you seem to be looking through the eyes of a narrator living in some kind of fantasy world or alternate reality. After the scene is set, it suddenly becomes clear to the reader that something is very, very wrong. As the narrator goes about his business, the reader is aware that his perception of reality is false, and yet no explanation presents itself until the narrator starts to unravel the mystery alongside you. I have never read a book that operates like this, and I loved it.
The plot is fantastic, but the style and mechanics of Piranesi are what make it a magical and unique read. I wish I could read it again without knowing what happens.
