The Amazing Gaiman: The Graveyard Book

When I hear the name Neil Gaiman, I think of strange stories, most of them dark but fascinating and mysterious. I dream of strange-looking characters and a very interesting plot. When I read the title, The Graveyard Book, I thought of ghosts, darkness and death.

And I was right.

What an usual book this is! A boy, surviving a cruel death, and ends up in a graveyard. How is he going to survive? Who will raise him? A place like that is not a place for toddlers.

We follow the little guy as he grows up. We see the world through his eyes, and he may be savage, but he studies and explores the graveyard, discovering its secrets. 

Every chapter is like a mini adventure but the big question remains: Who and why killed his family? Is little Bod going to find out the story about his past?

The book is like a fairy tale, but not for kids since death is its main subject. What dies doesn’t always stay dead but keep living like a ghost there where the bones lie. Most of the characters in this story are ghosts but Gaiman goes a step further adding some very interesting characters too. He doesn’t actually betray their identity but he gives us hints of their nature.

Silas was the one that troubled me the most. He becomes the boy’s protector, bringing him food and money since the ghosts cannot leave the graveyard. He is always serious and silent, but in a moment of crisis he is the one who will save the day.

I really enjoyed this book and even if it was written in Third Person Multiple it didn’t bother me at all. It was a bit sad story but the way Gaiman put everything together, in the end, there’s redemption.

Enjoy the quotes:

“Of all the organs, the tongue is the most remarkable. For we use it both to taste our sweet wine and bitter poison, thus also do we utter words both sweet and sour with the same tongue.”

“Have you ever been haunted, Maureen Quilling? Ever looked in the mirror wondering if the eyes looking back at you were yours? Ever sat in an empty room, and realized that you were not alone?”

“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you have gained.” 

“There’s a magic you take from death. Something leaves the world, something else comes into it.”