The Graveyard Book - A review.

I just finished reading The Graveyard Book, Yes. Yes. I know I should have gotten my hands on a Neil Gaiman book sooner. That man is awesome. But moving on from my inadequacies, I would just like to say that I simply loved the book, both from a reader and a critique's point of view.

First of all, let's talk about the imagery. It was amazing. The fantastical elements in the book blend in with reality just about perfectly. I loved the fact that it was not put in like a fairytale, where anything can happen. The book had just the right amount of reality mixed in with the dead, hounds of god and the Honor guard. The fact that a little boy walked to the cemetery and was adopted by ghosts was in itself so radical, that I was hooked from the word graveyard.

The suspense was intense. I was glued to the book in an extremely noisy bus where personal space is a myth. I was in that world, with Nobody Owens and Silas and the world of people and the dead. I loved the fact that I could not tell what was coming next. The book did not take any of the turns I thought it would. That, my friends, is what I love about books in the first place; the unknown. 

The characters in the book were so perfectly in sync. I could relate to some, and not to others. Human emotions and fantastical creations co-existed in perfect harmony. I also loved the fact that Gaiman wrote as easily about the child as the adult. With Bod growing, we also saw his emotions expanding and taking stock of life. The relation between a child and a role model was subtly implied and understood. There was satire in relationships and start truthfulness too. It was a journey. 

The most wonderful thing about the book was the name Nobody Owens. I applaud the fact that it did not change to an ordinary name at the end of the book. I am okay with Bod being Nobody Owens. I can relate to Bod. It really puts forth the idea that it's not what your name says about you but what you are that matters. 

The book also put forth the idea that everyone has something to teach, something to add to your life. The education Bod receives from the dead, some of them centuries old, all shape his life, no matter how outdated the information. 

If you haven't already read the book, I'd say please do. If you are anything like me, you will love and accept the graveyard family along with the living boy and the honor guard.