I have been struggling for a while to explain to others what genre Gaiman writes in. I very much like Neverwhere and Anansi Boys, and have been looking forward to this book, written more for teenagers. The best way I can explain what he does is to say that Gaiman writes modern “ghost stories”. Not horror stories, not “occult fantasy” but stories about people who encounter ghosts. This is certainly true for Coraline (reviewed last year).
In The Graveyard Book, a family is murdered by a mysterious figure, and only a toddler escapes. The toddler makes his way to a nearby cemetery inhabited by the homely and idiosyncratic ghosts of each person buried there. The child is adopted by a ghostly couple, and is protected by them from the murderer who is still seeking to destroy the boy.
So the child grows up and does his schoolwork with various odd and intriguing characters from various periods of English history. Bod (short for “Nobody” the name he has been given) gets into all sorts of scrapes, and challenges the ability of his slightly transparent adopted parents to keep him safe. As he enters his teen years he inevitably tries to go into the local village, with curious consequences.
This is written with Gaiman’s normal confidence and flair. I found it slightly uneven, as sometimes he seems to be writing down (given its younger teen intended audience). At other times the characters and events are delightful and the challenges Bod faces are engrossing.
I can’t see this is my favourite Neil Gaiman book, but I was glad to have read it. It is not a book whose main purpose is to be scarey, though Bod faces some scarey situations and foes. It certainly does contain a werewolf and a reformed vampire, as well as the viscious murderer we originally meet and his dark organisation. Miss this one if you find any reference to these things unpleasant, otherwise it is a good yarn from a very competent writer aimed at younger teens.
Andrew Lack
Head of the Odell Learning Resources Centre
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