The Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Neil Gaiman; Béla Fleck. 2008. The Graveyard Book CD [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD) New York : Harper Children's Audio. ISBN : 9780061551895

PLOT SUMMARY

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He lives in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for Bod-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will no longer be safe from the man Jack-who is still out there looking for the baby that got away. Nobody Owens’s parents were killed when he was a toddler and he escaped to a cemetery where the people buried there hid him from the murderer. After a heated debate on whether to take him in and what to do with him from then on, the community of the dead agree to make him one of their own. They name him Nobody, and call him Bod, because he's like nobody else in the cemetery. Bod is taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, a married, sadly childless, couple in ghost form who lived many years ago and raise the toddler as a member of their family. A nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and anything else he might need from the human world. From the inhabitants of the yard and from his guardian, Silas, Bod learns the ways of ghosts: tricks for haunting fading, dream-walking, and soon is well known across all the graveyards in London. He also has academic lessons with a cast of dead intelligencia and tries a short stint at the local public school. Bod interacts naturally with humans and nonhumans alike, making a few friends among the living but mostly staying close to home. Wherever the boy wonders he finds new dangers and the skills he’ll need to survive within the graveyard and in the scary world of the living.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

There is a space of two years between each vignette and each can stand alone in story. The plot follows Bod's progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches, and all walks of undead. In time, Bod becomes a guardian of the graveyard. Gaiman’s world consists of a multigenerational cast of characters from different historical periods that includes matronly Mistress Owens, ancient Roman Caius Pompeius, an hidebound young witch, a captivating woman in grey, a Hound of God/school teacher for Bod and his beloved mentor and guardian, Silas, who is neither living nor dead. One of Bod’s most gripping adventures portrays the Duke of Westminster, the Emperor of China and the 33rd President of the United States (Harry Truman's name is never mentioned) as hideous ghouls hungry for Bod's flesh.

Gaiman cites his inspiration for his newest novel from Kipling’s The Jungle Book. There are some obvious parallels between Bod’s story and The Jungle Book; for example, instead of getting kidnapped by apes, Bod gets kidnapped by ghouls. Pieces of other epic stories are glimpsed throughout as well; Bod is prophesied to overthrow an ancient and powerful sect, he lives between two worlds, and then some… can’t give it all away! Gaiman cleverly blends horror, humor, and humanity into a exhilarating story. In all, this is a wonderful metaphor about a kid growing up and exploring the world beyond the safety his homes. There's so much to read into in this novel, no wonder it won the Newbery.

AUDIO EXPERIENCE

Neil Gaiman; Béla Fleck. 2008. The Graveyard Book CD [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (7 Audio CD7 1/2 hr) Written and read by Neil Gaiman. Music performed by Béla Fleck.
The audio disc features a brilliant version of Saint-Saëns' "The Danse Macabre" performed by Béla Fleck on the banjo. Also introductory banjo in the beginning of each disc but then fades out for the remainder of the narration. Gaiman's voice never changes overmuch –he is nasal and scratchy for most of the reading; but he conveys the range of characters and their emotions by giving each character a different voice or accent. Nevertheless, curled up with the headphones, it’s as if he’s sitting beside me reading me a story, which is always soothing (this was my first audio book, probably not my last, but I’m not anxious for another).

I listened to this book while on a road trip with my family and in-laws –all avid readers. We all decided to give Gaiman a go, but the first two chapters of the book was all it took for the company to vote this book off the radio. It was slow to begin, and I think the baby-hunting in the first few scenes was just too much for some listening. I moved to headphones and listened for another 2 discs. If this wasn’t formal homework I may have returned the audio book for the print version altogether. The experience of listening to this audio book felt more like a chore than it should have. I had trouble following the story. I missed transitions and character introductions. Often I would suddenly feel like I had no idea what was going on. Not for not paying attention, but rather because I had trouble marking the important transitions between scenes. I didn’t catch character introductions and wondered who they were. At first I kept rewinding the audio to try to catch it, but that drove me crazy, so I listened and hoped it would come to make some sense. In the text those same transitions are marked by paragraph spacing or sometimes a small graphic between scenes that is not a new chapter but rather a long breathe between subjects. By disc 3 I was a little lost. My auditory acuity isn’t suited for listening to long vocal tracks like this. It could be complicated by his thick accent and changing tones. I just had a lot of trouble following Gaiman’s narration. I can’t blame the frustration on Gaiman’s writing, however, because my husband brought one of his other novels along for his own vacation reading, Anansi Boys. I picked it up a few times and was hooked immediately. (I must admit, even now I am anxious to finish this review so I can stay up reading about Fat Charlie) I was quickly intrigued by the writing, interested in the characters, and over the first few chapters, I found the story easy to follow as I would a Terry Pratchett or Stephen King novel. In conclusion, reading print is by far my preference over audio books any day, anywhere. But it was a good story and I'd like to read it –read it- again because I did miss quite a lot.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

“In this novel of wonder, Neil Gaiman follows in the footsteps of long-ago storytellers, weaving a tale of unforgettable enchantment.” -Monica Edinger. New York Times.
The Graveyard Book has spent 15 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for children’s chapter books. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/books/27newb.html?em

“Gaiman's novel is a soothing towel on the forehead of an ashen, fevered rugrat who wants to know what it all means.” –miracle. http://www.fictioncircus.com/

AWARDS

The Graveyard Book won the 2009 Hugo and Newbery Awards, as well as a Locus Award for best YA novel.

Its numerous honors makes The Graveyard Book one of the most honored children's books in recent history. Gaiman's work was cited by the ALA for its "delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing", noting its "magical, haunting prose."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Graveyard_Book

CONNECTIONS

Irish Academy Award-winning filmmaker Neil Jordan has signed on to write and direct the film adaptation.

Neil keeps a blog on jacketflap. You can learn an awful lot about him here http://www.jacketflap.com/megablog/index.asp?blogid=416

And of course on his website http://www.neilgaiman.com/

Gravestone Rubbing. Visit a cemetery with paper and charcoal to rub some gravestones of your own. Play the part of a detective and see what you can learn about the people who are buried there. Try to find the oldest and most recent residents.

The graveyard is populated with characters we typically think of as evil. How does Gaiman play with this idea, particularly in the characters of Silas, Miss Lupescu, and Eliza Hempstock?

Bod's human interactions are limited to a brief friendship with Scarlett and an even briefer stint at school. Discuss how these experiences change Bod. How do our friendships and associations with others affect us?