I have been a fan of Neil Gaiman ever since a friend of mine recommended the Sandman series to me. I was a bit skeptical since I wasn’t too sure about a ‘graphic novel’ having enough sophistication to keep me interested. I found myself humbled as I sat pouring through the 10 different volumes trying to comprehend some of the most amazing, intelligent writing that I had read in… Well, I am not sure when the last time I HAD read writing that was filled with that much detail, new theories and the weaving of mythology from all around the world. From that point forward I became a serious Neil Gaiman fan, reading everything I could get my hands on, from the brilliance of Good Omens to American Gods, with side notes into Stardust and Mirror Mask. Even though I had enjoyed his works, nothing to me came close to touching the brilliance of Sandman.
That was until, I read the Graveyard Book.
The Graveyard Book is based upon the concept of The Jungle Book and yet other than the same theory the two are very different. It is about a boy who was raised by ghosts in a graveyard. We meet him when he was but an infant being saved from the person who murdered his family and we leave him as he turns 18. Along the way we watch him grow to be an adult and grow as a human being and we find as we read his story that we ALSO grow as human beings.
I am an avid reader of Neil Gaiman’s blog and followed along as he wrote the story and we got glimpses of what it takes to write a novel from the author’s perspective. I remember clearly when he wrote Chapter 5 and mentioned that he didn’t know how it ended. This chapter ended up being my favorite chapter in the entire book.
Take the time, pick up the book (which is in the Juvenile section for some strange reason) and enjoy a new perspective on the world.
