The Innocents – Piranesi

Not a long post here, just an observation that it is really difficult to pull off the creation of an innocent character that feels genuine.

I just reread Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, and her creation of the character Piranesi always amazes me. The book has become a comfort read for me because of him.

I don’t want to give anything away because reading this book for the first time is not to be spoiled. The less you know about it going in, the more you will enjoy its mystery.

Off the top of my head, innocent characters…

-Beth in Little Women: Was this the first innocent’s death that I read in a story? I have cried so many tears over Beth–when she gives Mr. Lawrence the slippers, when Mr. March comes home, and (in the Greta Gerwig film) when she and Jo are at the seaside.

-Mickey 17 in Mickey 17 – such a good hero but also exasperating. I laughed a lot. I covered my eyes a lot.

-Buddy the Elf in Elf and Paddington in Paddington 2– I put these together because they are both movies that have no business being as good as they are. They both hit that sweet spot of goodness where it radiates into goodwill towards all mankind and creatures.

So the bottom line is…you ought to read Piranesi if you haven’t yet!