Neil Gaiman (2006)

Reviewed by: Jessi Hafer

“There is a theory that, in the whole world, there are only 500 real people. …In reality the world is made of thousands upon thousands of groups of about 500 people, all of whom will spend their lives bumping into each other, trying to avoid each other, and discovering each other in the same unlikely teashop in Vancouver. … It’s not even coincidence. It’s just the way the world works, with no regard for individuals or for propriety.”

Shame on me. I’m a long-time fan of Neil Gaiman, and as I embarked upon his latest novel, Anansi Boys, I kept thinking, “Hmm, this is good, but not as good as American Gods,” the fantastic Gaiman novel I recently read. That is, I kept thinking this until about 2/3 of the way through the book. Then, as a murdered character continued to interact with the plot and Gaiman dropped a shocking twist in the relationship of a couple of the major characters, I found myself racing to the satisfying finish.

Neil Gaiman is a fantasy writer, but rather than placing his stories in epic fantasy worlds, his stories occur in the “normal” world with “normal” people who discover a world of fantasy and fairy tale existing within their own. In addition to creating characters you relate to and folding them into unexpected plots, Gaiman writes beautifully no matter what his medium may be (and he’s written award-winning graphic novels, children’s books, novels, and short stories).

Gaiman utilizes some of his typical elements in Anansi Boys. It’s about an average yet shy guy with a mediocre job, in an unimpressive relationship. It’s a familiar world of cell phones, computer viruses, and extortion (well, hopefully the last two aren’t familiar in a personal sense). Fat Charlie has just attended his father’s funeral, and he learns about a brother named Spider, about whom Fat Charlie hadn’t previously known. He also is told that his father and brother are both gods, the former the subject of many myths and stories. Of course, Fat Charlie doesn’t believe any of this. That is, not until he meets his brother, who (though non-malicious) starts ruining Fat Charlie’s life in just about every way imaginable, severely meddling with Fat Charlie’s job and his fiancée. So Fat Charlie decides to do something about it.

The book’s words are a joy to read, as Gaiman invokes unique and poetic images throughout the story. He’s also funny, not funny ha ha or funny strange, but the funny of a gentle, silent laugh. Furthermore, he’s interesting, not in a take-what-you-learn-and-apply-it-immediately way, but interesting conceptually. The magic of Gaiman’s story seeps in, and you feel like you have sparkling glitter delightfully dancing in your mind.

So I feel ashamed that I even tried to compare Anansi Boys to American Gods. Read them both, and know that, though they may share some similarities and Gaiman trademarks, they are both amazing and enjoyable in their own ways.