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Anansi Boys.

Oh my gosh. I finally finished the book I picked up more than four months ago. Reading a book is something which I usually do only on my trip to and back from work. And this book isn't exactly the size which I would wanna put in my bag, so I left it at home to collect dust after a couple of days. I picked it up yesterday only becuz I wanted to buy a new book, and had to finish this first. Once I did that, like the experience of reading other Gaiman's books, I was unable to put it down and promptly finished the two hundred odd pages left today.

Anansi Boys was the fifth Neil Gaiman novel I read (excluding the Sandman Series and other related graphic novels). I like reading Gaiman's stories because of the world he created in his stories. The world where the Gods and the Deads walk among the Livings. Gods from long ago who would eventually be forgotten.

If you have read American Gods, you'll probably be familiar with the world he created in
Anansi Boys. I don't know what words to use to describe it, but the book is his usual style of "filled with lines simple enough to understand on the first glance", and yet "lively enough to keep you wanting to read more".

Anansi's world was a world with many stories. Folktales about animals which are still passed down in our present time. In the stories, Anansi was the smart one with the charms and always tricks up his sleeves, and all the other animals were afraid of this Spider.

"
God is dead. Meet the Kids". Anansi Boys is mostly about how the offspring of Anansi realised his potentials. I think the following extracts from the book pretty much sums up this idea, which IMO is the gist of what Gaiman wanted to convey in this book. "Some hats can be only wore if you're willing to be jaunty, to set them at an angle and to walk beneath them with a spring in your stride, as if you're only one step away from dancing. They demand alot of you. This hat was one of those, and Charlie was up to it."

The book is also about the importance of trusting your family (your Dad is probably right when he said the hat looks good on you). And how songs can fix more than a thing or two. Not to mention save your life when you are in the most precarious position.

I found myself laughing while I ploughed through the paragraphs at
gazillion speed. If you are a Gaiman fan, you'll definitely enjoy this book too. I suggest you get a copy with the deleted scenes and extracts of the notebook while Gaiman scribbled the Anansi stories.

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