The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman—a YA book for adults (review)

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I’ve only read three of Gaiman’s books, but enjoyed every one. His style is inviting and pulls the reader along with ease. His plots and characters are enjoyable, if a bit common. But his settings and the world are fascinating and fun.

This was written as a children’s book, though an adult would have no problem enjoying it. In fact, it might disturb some children.

This book is lighter than some of his others (American Gods), but still addresses good versus evil themes and perseverance in the face of difficulty. The protagonist, Bod, was the only survivor of an attempted murder of his family. He escaped the house as a toddler, wandered into an old, old graveyard, and was protected and raised by ghosts of the long-dead.

Gaiman took the idea for this book from The Jungle Book, substituting a graveyard and ghosts for jungle and animals. It works well. Told with humor, but also with a developing plot that harbors something sinister, the novel is a delightful series of vignettes about Bod and his adopted “family”—a series of quirky, lovable characters from various times throughout history.

Being a YA fantasy book, I would probably not have read this had it not won the Hugo Award. I would have missed out.