The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, has been described by many, including the author himself, as an homage to The Jungle Book. I can’t make the comparison intelligently, having never read Rudyard Kipling’s work myself (I did see the Disney version, but for some reason I think that Mr. Kipling’s book didn’t have any snappy jazz numbers performed by monkeys). I can, however, state my unequivocal love of this book.
Bod is a baby when his family is killed by the man Jack. Baby Bod manages to wander into a nearby graveyard, where he is taken in and saved by the ghosts who inhabit the area, as well as by Silas, the loveable, cantankerous resident, and sometimes caretaker, of the graveyard.
After rescuing Bod and giving him the “Freedom of the Graveyard”, which includes being able to interact with its denizens and getting lessons in ghost-like behaviour from his adoptive ghost-parents, ghost-friends, ghost-teachers and one amusing, but tough, were-teacher with a penchant towards bad cooking.
The book follows young Bod through adolescence, his adventures in the graveyard and his inevitable fall into the regular world. The book is structured in eight chapters (and an interlude), each one reading like a short story about Bod’s world. When taken together, however, it is a fascinating tale of growing up and the magic that can be found in the simplest of places.
One chapter, entitled “Danse Macabre”, gives a stunning and imaginative description of what happens when the dead and the living get together for a night. Seeing those events through Bod’s eyes made me wish to once again see the world through a child’s eyes, with innocence and acceptance.
Bod realizes that sometimes you have to leave your comfortable place to see what might be over the next hill. This simple lesson is one I am still trying to learn, despite having left my comfort zone in Toronto some eight years ago.
Mention should also be made to the illustrations by long-time Gaiman collaborator, Dave McKean. The haunting drawings that accompany the prose enhance it without overwhelming it, creating the perfect atmosphere to experience the Graveyard.
Neil Gaiman has given the world some memorable stories filled with unforgettable characters, but his simple story of Bod is one I will come back to over and over again; anytime I need a reminder that life is worth living, even if it is with the dead.
Bod is a baby when his family is killed by the man Jack. Baby Bod manages to wander into a nearby graveyard, where he is taken in and saved by the ghosts who inhabit the area, as well as by Silas, the loveable, cantankerous resident, and sometimes caretaker, of the graveyard.
After rescuing Bod and giving him the “Freedom of the Graveyard”, which includes being able to interact with its denizens and getting lessons in ghost-like behaviour from his adoptive ghost-parents, ghost-friends, ghost-teachers and one amusing, but tough, were-teacher with a penchant towards bad cooking.
The book follows young Bod through adolescence, his adventures in the graveyard and his inevitable fall into the regular world. The book is structured in eight chapters (and an interlude), each one reading like a short story about Bod’s world. When taken together, however, it is a fascinating tale of growing up and the magic that can be found in the simplest of places.
One chapter, entitled “Danse Macabre”, gives a stunning and imaginative description of what happens when the dead and the living get together for a night. Seeing those events through Bod’s eyes made me wish to once again see the world through a child’s eyes, with innocence and acceptance.
Bod realizes that sometimes you have to leave your comfortable place to see what might be over the next hill. This simple lesson is one I am still trying to learn, despite having left my comfort zone in Toronto some eight years ago.
Mention should also be made to the illustrations by long-time Gaiman collaborator, Dave McKean. The haunting drawings that accompany the prose enhance it without overwhelming it, creating the perfect atmosphere to experience the Graveyard.
Neil Gaiman has given the world some memorable stories filled with unforgettable characters, but his simple story of Bod is one I will come back to over and over again; anytime I need a reminder that life is worth living, even if it is with the dead.
“Do you know what you’re going to do now?” she said.
“See the world,” said Bod. “Get into trouble. Get out of trouble again. Visit jungles and volcanoes and deserts and islands. And people. I want to meet an awful lot of
people.”-The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment