WEEK 8: ANANSI AND HIS PROBLEMATIC BOYS

For this week’s reading, I read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. After reading this novel, I now understand why Gaiman brings the hype in many readers. The writing flowed effortlessly with the storytelling with so much clarity and visual interest that it was hard to stop. Usually I find myself being very picky with authors and their style, so it was a pleasant surprise to really get into this novel.

Now let’s talk about the book: I liked it a lot actually. I found the overall premise to be attention-grabbing from the start so I’m glad that it did not disappoint with the delivery. I am greatly fascinated with mythology, but have always been one of surface-level fans (never really looking beyond Greek/ Roman mythology). I had no idea that the African myths were so creative. The idea of the different animals being weaved into these colorful characters really piqued my interest. Despite her being a villain, I absolutely loved Bird Woman. And I hate birds. There was something really charismatic and powerful about her character that made me want more of her in the novel. I loved the part when she went out for dinner with Spider and the birds flew out of her mouth. I can just picture the chaos and confusion that went down in the restaurant.

Placing these mythological characters into the modern world brought a specific style to the book. You could definitely feel the urban/ contemporary vibes of the world, but then there was also the magic and whimsical nature of the spiritual world. The Gods were still true to their original forms, but then Gaiman added so much more life to the myths by giving the Gods personalities. Anansi was not just a trickster god anymore; he became a playful womanizer with a son who is the complete opposite. Tiger became a heinous villain who’s purpose came from the greed of power/ jealousy of Anansi. The way that Gaiman utilized the myths truly gave this book a unique voice as it tells a totally modern story, but with timely characters.

Another book by Neil Gaiman that I’ve been wanting to read is Coraline, and now I’m looking forward to it more than before. I’ll be sure to read more of Gaiman’s work in the future, probably after graduation.

- ☽Stacy Moon☾