While this book may not seem like the most lively choice for some quiet reading time based on its title, The Graveyard Book is an exciting and quick read with twists and turns, intricate details, and beautifully fleshed out (no pun intended) characters. Like young Harry Potter, Bod is ‘the boy who lived’, and his potential in life is limitless.
Recently, I had the pleasure of reading a most unique novel: The Graveyard Book (2008). Penned by the award winning author, Neil Gaiman (well known for Coraline, Stardust, and American Gods), and beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell, in a dark whimsical style that personally reminds me of Tony DiTerlizzi’s artwork in The Spiderwick Chronicles series, it is no wonder that this tale truly comes to life (despite the majority of characters being among the dead). According to fellow author Diana Wynne Jones (Howl’s Moving Castle), The Graveyard Book is “...the best book Neil Gaiman has ever written”. I will now briefly flash back to Miss Wick (me) walking through the Hub at St Luke’s Catholic College. With our staircases lined with books, I often have trouble keeping my head turned forward as I make my way from Point A to Point B. Being a Gaiman fan, this book certainly caught my attention quickly, and in the span of three days, I saw Nobody “Bod” Owens to the end of his journey. In this bildungsroman truly like no other, Bod must come of age and come into himself by stepping out of the graveyard and into the land of the living; a place in which his ghost guardians are unable to inhabit.
“There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” Do I need to continue this review? Like in Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984, where “It was a bright cold day in april, and the clocks were striking thirteen” (Orwell, 1981), The Graveyard Book grasps the reader in a vice-like grip, and from the very first sentence, we cringe and shrink away from our titular villain, “the man Jack” (not Jack, ‘the man Jack’). Juxtaposing with the sharpness of the ice cold coolness of our villain is a family, snug in their beds, and shrouded with the illusion of safety that comes with being in the state of dream filled unconsciousness. One by one, he slices their lives away, leaving their spirits screaming and fleeing desperately to the hills. Meanwhile (much like the opening of the classic Christmas film, Elf), a curious and bright eyed baby boy climbs out of his crib, and makes his way out of the house and towards the nearby graveyard. Finding himself face to face with a variety of ghosts, with histories going back as much as hundreds of years, and a man named Silas who is not a ghost, but also not quite alive, the baby finds a home amongst the tombstones.
While he grows up amongst the dead, Bod learns what it is to live in this shadow of the world we know. He eats and he sleeps, and he takes classes (anything from the history of the graveyard, to how to “fade” or make yourself invisible, as ghosts do). It is definitely a proud accomplishment when Bod masters fading, as ironically he makes it feel like nobody is there, when in fact quite literally, Nobody (Owens) is there! The ghosts decide to call the baby Nobody, as they cannot agree on someone to name him after. His surrogate ghost mother, Mrs Owens claims that he looks like “nobody”, as in “nobody but himself”. Bod (not Bob as some peers mistakenly assume) certainly lives up to this expectation, and seeing him grow into a confident, caring, and creative individual is truly wonderful and satisfying as a reader. Looking for your next read? Pick up The Graveyard Book, and discover a whole new world, right under your nose (again, no pun intended).
References:
Berg, J., Komarnicki, T., & Robertson, S. (Producers), & Favreau, J. (Director). (2003). Eld [Motion Picture]. United States: New Line Cinema.
Gaiman, N., & Riddell, C. (2008). The graveyard book. London, Bloomsbury.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York, New American Library, 1981.
Rowling, J. K., author. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York :Arthur A. Levine Books, 1998.
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