A Review of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book
Book Review: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is very "dark." Fortunately, it has many enlightening moments. "Bod" (Nobody) Owens, a boy who has grown up in a graveyard, narrowly escapes death as a toddler. But, danger is still all-around him and only the spirits who live in the graveyard can protect him as he matures. This they do with great love for him, calling upon the resources of the dead and half-dead to ensure his life. His parents, Master and Mistress Owens--who received Bod as a gift from his newly murdered mother; his guardian, Silas--who is more powerful than his unassuming and silent ways would at first indicate; the strait-laced Miss Lupescu--who teaches Bod survival tactics he doesn't think he will need, but does--all guard Bod with discipline and ferocity. Bod is, at first, oblivious to the differences between himself and other human beings &mdash in fact, for a great while, he doesn't know there are live human beings! He learns the ways of the dead and only reluctantly is he drawn, at first, into knowledge of the world of the living. Then he begins to want to learn everything, because the group which tried to kill him is still searching for him; so, he must confront the "real" world and he must conquer it and those enemies to survive.
Gaiman acknowledges the influence of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (not the Disney versions) on this novel. And, he puts those influences to very good use! There is an underlying sense of impending doom as one reads, and the urgency one feels to protect Bod, even as he begins to assert his own personality in the real world, is palpable. However, while the thought of the violence committed is haunting, it is not graphic. The clever wordplay on names and places, the descriptions and inscriptions of the graves and their gravestones, the use of creatures from many folklores all contribute to a fine work &mdash one worthy of the 2008 Newbery Award which it received. I read it at night &mdash if you are "spooked" by strange and wondrous things, read it during the daylight! Happy Reading!