The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman happens to be one of my favorite authors. Between The Graveyard Book, American Gods, and The Sandman comic series he's written a little something for everyone. He's a fan friendly author, reaching out with his prolific Twitter account and a fighter for libraries. He's endeared himself to me, and earned a lovely spot on my bookshelf. With that being said, I adored every single moment of The Graveyard Book. Gaiman's writing style lends itself to the darker parts of the human spirit, but he often reminds his readers that in that darkness the light shines brighter.
When Nobody Owens was a toddler his parents were murdered. Bod, being a spry child, escaped this fate and ran into a graveyard. Adopted by ghosts he's raised among the dead and learned their ways. Lets stop for a second and ponder this. I'm going to go back to an argument that I've made on this blog in the past. All great young adult literature includes moments of darkness. The conflict created by this beginning lends a weight to the rest of the book. It overhangs ever scene, waiting to be resolved. Gaiman then weaves Bod's struggles as a young adult within this complex story. True to his style, Gaiman doesn't let Bod off the hook. He gives him flaws, has him try and fail at things, and gives him unfair resolutions to complex problems. This isn't a book where a happy ending happens and everything is okay. We, as the reader, get and ending, it's moderately happy, but Bod still has a lot of growing to do. Too many stories have the Full House syndrome. Give characters conflict, watch them stumble a bit, everyone gets exactly what they want, the end. This isn't life, this isn't a reflection of reality. Gaiman takes the fantastic, a boy being raised by ghosts, and makes it a cleaner reflection of life than nearly any other young adult book I've read.
So, dear readers, pick this up. It's a short read, but it's beautiful. Gaiman's prose doesn't disappoint, the illustrations* are wonderful. It's a great bridge book from the dog days of summer to the early moments of fall.
Next up is A Visit from the Goon Squad. This book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, so I hope that I like it as much as I think I will. Later on this week, I'll post a list of my vacation books.
* The illustrations in The Graveyard book are done by Dave McKean. His work is as macabre as it is brilliant.
Neil Gaiman happens to be one of my favorite authors. Between The Graveyard Book, American Gods, and The Sandman comic series he's written a little something for everyone. He's a fan friendly author, reaching out with his prolific Twitter account and a fighter for libraries. He's endeared himself to me, and earned a lovely spot on my bookshelf. With that being said, I adored every single moment of The Graveyard Book. Gaiman's writing style lends itself to the darker parts of the human spirit, but he often reminds his readers that in that darkness the light shines brighter.
When Nobody Owens was a toddler his parents were murdered. Bod, being a spry child, escaped this fate and ran into a graveyard. Adopted by ghosts he's raised among the dead and learned their ways. Lets stop for a second and ponder this. I'm going to go back to an argument that I've made on this blog in the past. All great young adult literature includes moments of darkness. The conflict created by this beginning lends a weight to the rest of the book. It overhangs ever scene, waiting to be resolved. Gaiman then weaves Bod's struggles as a young adult within this complex story. True to his style, Gaiman doesn't let Bod off the hook. He gives him flaws, has him try and fail at things, and gives him unfair resolutions to complex problems. This isn't a book where a happy ending happens and everything is okay. We, as the reader, get and ending, it's moderately happy, but Bod still has a lot of growing to do. Too many stories have the Full House syndrome. Give characters conflict, watch them stumble a bit, everyone gets exactly what they want, the end. This isn't life, this isn't a reflection of reality. Gaiman takes the fantastic, a boy being raised by ghosts, and makes it a cleaner reflection of life than nearly any other young adult book I've read.
So, dear readers, pick this up. It's a short read, but it's beautiful. Gaiman's prose doesn't disappoint, the illustrations* are wonderful. It's a great bridge book from the dog days of summer to the early moments of fall.
Next up is A Visit from the Goon Squad. This book won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction, so I hope that I like it as much as I think I will. Later on this week, I'll post a list of my vacation books.
* The illustrations in The Graveyard book are done by Dave McKean. His work is as macabre as it is brilliant.
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