The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Ok, so I have had a slight obsession with reading Gaiman's work lately. I had never read anything by him until December and now I can't figure out why. He's brilliant.
During the brutal murder of his family, a young baby manages to crawl out of the house and into a graveyard. There he is protected by the residents from the assailant. Without a name, the residents of the graveyard call him Nobody (Bod for short) and he is taken in by a ghostly couple. Silas, who has the ability to leave the graveyard, takes the responsibility to keep Bod fed, protected, and educated. And it is in the graveyard that Bod lives, not knowing that the man who killed his family was still looking for him.
The Graveyard Book is a unique children's book. It's filled with dark humor and silliness. I absolutely loved it. The characters were deep and unique. Gaiman never states what some of the residents are specifically (is Silas a vampire?) so you feel a lot like Bod might. Bod knows nothing but the graveyard. Gaiman really did a great job of capturing the essence of a young boy who doesn't know anything different.
I have found many who did not like the ending of the book, but I honestly don't know how else it could have ended. Gaiman stays true to the story and follows it to it's end, even if it's not the fairy tale ending that some might hope for.
I highly recommend this book and fully intend to read this to my daughter one day.
Rating: PG
Recommended for those who enjoy: fairy tales, dark humor, and quirky writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment