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Book Review: Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys

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By: Charbarred | in: Books |

It’s nice to be pleasantly surprised by a book. I have to admit that as far as my literary tastes go, Anansi Boys had nothing going for it in the beginning. For starters, I don’t like humorous books. I thoroughly enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, but hated Neverwhere so much; I vowed never to read another Gaiman novel. But in the end a 3 for 2 offer, and having just read a torturous novel that took me three months to complete, tipped the scales.

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Neil Gaiman, who is also responsible for the famous Sandman graphic novels, weaves a fine tale in Anansi Boys. Charles Nancy, aka Fat Charlie, is a mild mannered man stuck in a boring job with a boring fiancé. Having discovered that his estranged “embarrassing” father just died, he travels to the US to say his goodbyes. After the funeral he discovers that his dad was actually an ancient god and that he has a brother he doesn’t remember.

Back in London, Charlie summons his brother, a wild, mischievous character who answers to the name of “Spider “. Spider possesses his father’s god-like abilities, making him able to travel to places he’s seen in photographs, summon things out of thin air and hijack people’s identity. Before Fat Charlie even begins to ponder all of this, Spider is already in the midst of ruining his brother’s life. After a procession of hilarious incidents, Fat Charlie decides to get rid of his brother. And without giving away the rest of the plot, all hell breaks loose.

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The characters are over the top (Fat Charlie is a cross between Mr. Bean and that character Hugh Grant always plays), but serve the story very well. There is Nancy’s boss, a psychopath in the making, the evil mother in law, a vengeful spirit, the unsuspecting policewoman and some really scary old ladies. Thrown in together with a Spider’s anarchic games, a strange love triangle and an exciting godly final showdown, Anansi Boys conjures up a very exhilarating ride.

Gaiman’s writing is impeccable. His insight to his protagonists is amazing, while the settings of his book really come to life. Yeah, it’s a book about gods, but you won’t find the meaning of life in its pages. It’s a fun read about owning up to your past and making peace with your family…oh and about becoming a god in the process. The whole folklore Gaiman created is very insightful, but in the end I’ll remember this book more for its readability.

Bottom Line: A fast cheery read, with some original stuff thrown in. I’ve made my peace with Gaiman, and am now eagerly looking forward to his next novel.

[Buy Anansi Boys on Amazon]


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Posted on March 31, 2007

Comments

3 Responses to “Book Review: Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys”

  1. book » Book Review: Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys on April 1st, 2007 9:46 am

    [...] edhild wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptIt’s nice to be pleasantly surprised by a book. I have to admit that as far as my literary tastes go, Anansi Boys had nothing going for it in the beginning. For starters, I don’t like humorous books. I thoroughly enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s … [...]


  2. Kelly Cho on April 1st, 2007 5:49 pm

    I love Gaiman’s work. I’m not a huge Sandman fan but I recommend The Dream Hunters. Also a good one is Stardust… one of my favorites.
    I haven’t read Neverwhere yet but saw the BBC short film (which was really cheesy-looking) and I liked it.


  3. Charbarred on April 2nd, 2007 2:01 am

    Thanks. I’ll definitely check out The Dream Hunters.


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