The Graveyard Book Review

by NDV
(Wisconsin)

Over two decades ago, Neil Gaiman truly revolutionized the comic book industry with his amazing work in the comic book industry. Roughly 8 years ago, Gaiman made the transition into novel writing and his work has been nothing short of spectacular. This is evidenced in the release of his new novel The Graveyard Book. On the surface, this book appears to be a horror novel but upon reading the first few chapters, it becomes obvious this is more than a run of the mill horror yarn. This is an incredibly multifaceted work that is truly one of the more unique and interesting works of dark (and, for that matter upbeat) fantasy on bookstore shelves.

The plot of this work is one of the more original narratives to come down the proverbial pike in many years. The novel is the tale of Nobody Owens. When Nobody was born, his family was murdered by an assassin. Nobody, however, was spared in a very unique way: he found himself in a cemetery where he immediately fell under the protection of the ghosts that inhabited the cemetery. These ghosts not only protect Nobody. They raise him from a newborn through his adolescence. Of course, this makes for quite the unique upbringing since the dynamic between ghosts and humans is quite different.

Therein exists much of the allegorical components to the tale. The differences between ghosts and humans are a microcosm of the differences between people in general. The irony of the relationship between Nobody and the ghosts centers on the fact that humans share many of the same differences. From this, we can watch the interaction between the characters from a different perspective that allows us to examine human relationships within a framework that includes spiritual, astral beings. Yes, Gaiman is a creative author and that is what makes his work so engaging.

Of course, the ending of the novel yields a confrontation between Nobody and the assassin that murdered his family. While the confrontation does follow some of the conventions of a traditional revenge tale, there are enough “spins” present that the confrontation never becomes predictable or derivative. No, Gaiman is a far more talented author than one that would deliver little more than “the same old, same old”.

What makes this an engaging work is that it harkens back to the days of gothic, grim children’s literature. In time, children’s literature – which was quite dark in previous centuries – began to soften and lose its bite. While this book is clearly written for and marketed to adults, Gaiman still is successful in bringing back the weird genre conventions of dark children’s fantasy. This is why it stands out as such a unique work which further contributes to its popularity.

Those looking for a thoroughly original and engaging work of dark fiction will certainly enjoy reading The Graveyard Book. Far too often, fantasy books are cut from the same mold. With Gaiman’s work, this is certainly not the case as his innovative and visionary style is among the most original a reader could discover.