Book Review~ The Graveyard Book

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Pages:


Synopsis: Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a perfectly normal boy. Apart from the fact that he lives in a graveyard and is being raised and educated by ghosts, and his guardian belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. 


There are dangers and adventures for Bod in the graveyard: the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer; a gravestone entrance to a desert that leads to the city of ghouls; friendship with a witch; and so much more.


But it is the land of the living that real dangers lurk, for it is there that the man Jack lives and he has already killed Bod's family. 


This is the first Neil Gaiman's book I have ever read. I am not a fan of Mr Gaiman but his reputation as a story-teller is well-known to me. I decided to give this book a try when I saw it at Harris bookstore weeks ago. 


Nobody Owens, or just Bod, is the main protagonist here as can be read on the synopsis. I got interested from the start of the novel where he was introduced as a baby in plight. He is quite an interesting character, and like the synopsis said, quite normal for someone who was raised among ghosts and strange creatures alike. Bod goes from being a child oblivious to the strange fact of his upbringing to a young teen starting to get rebellious with everything. His character gets confused as he grows up and this serves as one of the best thing in this book. I found being in Bod's shoes as he found it hard to let go of all the things he once knew in his life. Moving on is shown as something very difficult but not impossible in this book through the life of Bod. His character develops really well and I come to get really affectionate to him by the end of this book.


Other characters were not really spent much time on. And that was a bit disappointing to me. But then again I guessed this book is meant to focus more on Bod and the murderous scheme devised by the man Jack.Other characters in this book like Mr and Mrs Owens, Bod's only living friend Scarlett, Miss Lupescu and Silas, Bod's enigmatic guardian. There are actually a lot, but since they were not given more screen time, I couldn't get to know them better. I would say man Jack is a boring villain. There was little reason for him being there except as a very evil man. I gotta say as much as I loved Bod, the character that drew my interest all the time has gotta be Silas. Miss Lupescu is also favorable, but Silas top every other character in the book. He has that dark forbidding atmosphere around him whenever he enters into a scene. His relationship with Bod is another aspect that made me loved this book. Despite his coldness and all, whenever he is with Bod he grows some-what warm and loving. 


Neil Gaiman's writing is certainly a new thing to me. I've never before read a book that is both dark and lighthearted at the same time. There are boring parts which I was tempted to skip, but overall the book was entertaining and a must read for leisure.


I give this book 3 out of 4. 

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