Only Piranesi and the Other Exist.

They live in a “House” filled with an infinite number of rooms that sweep into huge halls.  The rest of the world no longer exists.

The man who describes himself as the “Other” believes that the “knowledge of the ancients” is hidden somewhere.  Its power was something that mankind used to possess, but lost at some point in time.

Also living in this colossal place is Piranesi  He is a good man who takes care of the House.  Huge story-like statues populate the rooms, each symbolic of something that Piranesi cherishes.  So gentle and kind, he feeds the beautiful birds flying everywhere, and marvels at the creatures filling the sea.

All things within the House is meticulously known, and loved with tenderness.  A scientist at heart, Piranesi moves through this majestic place with precision.  There is no fear, he knows that he is safe.  In return for Piranesi’s love, the House esteems him as the beloved child.

The Other’s Quest for the Power of Knowledge

Unlike Piranesi, the Other does not have knowledge of the intricate inner-workings of the House.  He takes advantage of Piranesi, using him to identify where the ancient knowledge is located.

The Other describes the history of the ancient knowledge this way:

“Once upon a time people possessed it and they used it to do great things, miraculous things.  They should have held on to it and respected it.  But they didn’t.  They abandoned it for the sake of something called progress, and it’s up to us to get it back.”

He wants to possess its enormous power.  With it, comes the ability to defeat death and become immortal, telepathic power, transfigure the human body into an eagle or fish, use the mind to move things, and to dominate or “bend” the will of others.

And so, we are taken on a nail biting journey to discover where the power of the ancient knowledge lies.  Through the plot’s many twists and turns, Piranesi is that light that brings meaning to the good and bad encountered along the way.

The suspense throughout made me turn pages faster than the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

While no spoilers are revealed here, I will share the beautiful imagery that came alive while moving through the novel’s incredible setting.

A Vision of Heaven – The House of Benevolence

First, the magnificent House captures the vision that Christ gives about the home that awaits in heaven.

He says:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Piranesi’s House of benevolence, with its vast number of glorious rooms, comes to us in the same majestic way.  Every creature has a place to dwell – joy filled.

Kings Bring Splendor from Earth into Heaven

The House of Piranesi and the Other is their life source.  It transcendentally pours forth its beauty and love – always affording the free choice to leave and return again.

Their movement between worlds is like the vision of heaven shared by the Apostle John.

He tells us that “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.”

Hence, the beloved of God will move from the earth into the kingdom of heaven to bring glory into it.  The two opposing characters in the novel do the same.  At different points in time, they travel from the real world on earth, and always return back to the life sustaining House.

St. John also tells us that only the beloved who love and seek to do God’s will receive this beatific blessing.  That is, to bring splendor by moving from the earth into the kingdom of heaven. He describes these beloved people of God as “Kings.”

Unlike the fantasy House in Piranesi, death and all forms of evil cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  God’s perfect love and protection dwells with his beloved elect.

Christ becomes especially present in the novel when Piranesi faces real peril.  A glorious white Cross suddenly appears.  As it draws nearer, he sees that it is a beautiful albatross, and embraces it in a communion like encounter.

Reflecting on this event, I heard the voice of C.S. Lewis and the created scenes within the world of Narnia took center stage.  Clarke must have been thinking of them too when she wrote the scene.

Remembering the elders and those who have died.

Throughout the novel, Piranesi shares his profound love for the ancient “people of the past.”  He visits their bones, bringing food, water and lilies as offerings of love.

He tells them everything he has been doing, describing all the “Wonders” seen in the house – so that they would know they were not alone.

Piranesi places each person’s life on a loom to weave their story again into being.

Although no longer alive, Piranesi creates a special place of remembrance for each person from the past.  He takes meticulous care of their bones, honoring who they were and visiting them with beautiful gifts. He believes that they hear his stories, and though dead, still possess the fullness of life everlasting.

Even the body of an evil person is placed inside a bag so that the sea can cleanse it without losing a single fragment of bone.  So great is Piranesi’s reverence for the human body.  For it is the Temple where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Ultimately – it is the Other’s quest for the ancient knowledge that assuredly brings to mind the eternal search for the Truth of Christ.  The regal wisdom that was lost in the Garden of Eden (the Tree of Life) for the sake of “progress” is in many ways, re-encountered in Piranesi’s riveting plot.

In closing, Piranesi is a novel that captures the never ending struggle between the forces of good and evil. While the Other seeks to abuse the House for its knowledge of the ancients, Piranesi seeks to assemble all of its life giving parts into something beautiful.

And along the way, we get a glimpse of what heaven may be like.

Through Piranesi’s goodness, we learn how to discover the beauty of God in suffering.

Though all may seem lost and broken, we can still come away with gratitude and compassion when the heart is wholly good.