Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy - an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack - who has already killed Bod's family.

Master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel about life and death, love and growing up, and finding family in the most unlikely places.

 

Review: (Contains Spoilers)

 

The Graveyard Book was very exciting. I was immediately gripped by its dramatic opening and avidly read about the way in which the protagonist, Nobody Owens or Bod, experiences life amongst the dead. The novel contains plenty of excellent description which vividly illustrates the narrative and brings the story alive.

 

The Graveyard Book is thrilling and action-packed. Bod moves from one adventure to another over his childhood, from escaping ghouls to facing an ancient malevolent creature called the Sleer. There is not a dull moment in Bod’s unconventional life. However, the book makes room for serious contemplation and also explores various relationships such as friendship and family. The characters are 3D and well-developed.

 

There are a range of interesting characters in the book including the strict Miss Lupescu, his adopted parents, Mr and Mrs Owens and his rather mysterious guardian, Silas. Bod’s own development can be seen through the various challenges he faces and show him to be brave, kind and to have a great deal of curiosity which is both a good and a bad thing as he is meant to keep a low profile for his own safety.

Although Gaiman does not explicitly state that Bod’s guardian, Silas, is a vampire, it becomes increasingly evident through the course of the book that he is, especially at the very end of the book when Bod sees that he has a trunk filled with the soil of his homeland.

I think that it was very interesting that Silas said that he had done many terrible things in the past as he must have undergone a drastic transformation in order to become a member of the honour guard. Perhaps we will learn more about his past if there is a sequel.

The reader did not get a detailed enough explanation of how the Jacks of all trades gained supernatural powers by killing people and why they believed that Bod would be the one to destroy their order if he lived to adulthood.

Furthermore, I did not at all like the way in which Scarlett had all her later memories of Bod removed or suppressed in order to save her from acknowledging his supernatural abilities or having to come to terms with the climactic events at the end of the book.

Gaiman definitely leaves the ending of the book open so the reader may get a chance to read about the further adventures of Bod as an adult. I saw some of what the Honour Guard were dedicated to doing, ridding the world of evil beings such as the Jacks and the terrible sacrifices they were faced with but I would certainly like to find out a lot more about them.

Rating: 4/5
Concept: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Author: Neil Gaiman
 
Thank you to my sister for reviewing this book.