The third best book of my adulthood

Ok, so it might sound like I repeat myself, as we heard the name Neil Gaiman in this Top 5 before, but it is well-deserved, trust me. Without further delay, the third place, and the bronze medal goes to…

Anansi Boys is, for some reason, really difficult for me to talk about. I mean, try to describe the storyline without seeming like you’re running for a Mad Hatter. The still somewhat sensible beginning goes like this: The main character, Charlie, learns his estranged father died and travels to his funeral. There, an old family friend tells him that, by the way, his father was a god and that Charlie has a brother who inherited all the magic. He can reach out to him by sending a message after a spider. Charlie travels home, gets drunk one night, and jokingly says something to a little spider he sees. The following day, there is a knock on Charlie’s door, and an odd guy shows up, claiming to be his brother. I don’t want to spoil more, as one of the biggest joys of this book is the total unexpectedness of what’s going to happen. Generally, what follows is a whirlwind of seances, limes, overseas flying, spiders, birds, gods, witches, murders, cops, ghosts, financial frauds, caves at the end (or beginning?) of the world, green fedoras, wax fruit, ass-jiggling mothers, karaoke, Prometheus-like punishments, presidential costumes and so much more.

This was hands down my favorite Gaiman novel. It was fun, beautifully written, and so original. I loved that he paid homage to West African mythology (although I’m certainly not one to say if he did it justice). There are several storylines that come together in the end in a very satisfying manner. Most of all, though, the book felt very… true. There was something so truthful about the world, the characters, the narrative – as unusual as it was. Neil Gaiman once famously said (and repeated in different versions many times) that “fiction is the lie that tells the truth.” And some small, secret part of my brain whispers to me that this story is real. It happened somewhere. Or maybe it’s happening right now.

See. Mad Hatter. I told you.

If you’re up for something else from Neil Gaiman than a novel, I highly recommend his short stories (either just google some or get the gorgeous edition of The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction – it has fantastic stories and looks great on the bookshelf). Or get his essays (The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction). I loved both.