Bear with me. We are about to discuss a book by Neil Gaiman. Critics have used words like droll, original, and audacious to describe Gaiman’s work. I agree with all of that, plus, his plots defy summaries.
ANANSI BOYS is Fat Charlie’s story. Charlie Nancy is engaged to a young lady whose mother can not stand him, works for the worst boss imaginable, and is not fat. His life is about to change drastically.
Fat Charlie’s father had named him Fat twenty years ago and when Fat Charlie’s father named something it stuck. In fact Mr. Nancy had made a habit of doing things that were an embarrassment to his son over the years. Even his death was in many ways an embarrassment; he fell off a stage while singing at a karaoke night.
At the funeral, Fat Charlie learns that his father was actually the trickster god Anansi, the spider god. He also learns, to his surprise, that to summon the brother, that he knew nothing about, all he has to do is ask a spider.
The tall, good-looking stranger who appears on his doorstep is nothing like Fat Charlie; he is more like their father. Brother Spider is the very spirit of rebellion. He is able to turn reality to his own whims and he is determined to add some fun to Fat Charlie’s life. He adds a body in a secret safe, trips to other worlds, birds worthy of a Hitchcock film, magic, and a lost girlfriend. Then the plot gets out of control.
ANANSI BOYS takes the old trickster tales -- think Bre’r Rabbit and the Tar Baby - and adds some very modern twists. You will never see spiders in the same way.
Neil Gaiman may not be the author for everybody, but if you are willing to suspend you sense of reality, he is a fun author. As outrageous as his characters are, you still like them and want to see them turn out well. Sometimes it takes awhile to be aware of some serious comments hidden in his humor. Gaiman is a true original worthy to be compared to Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse.
No comments:
Post a Comment