Since getting my
Kobo Touch e-reader, I've been catching up on my reading, and have been really getting in to it!
The story of a boy, named Nobody or Bod for short, and his coming of age whilst living in a graveyard!
The book starts off with the murder of Bod's family, why, we learn over the course of the book, and his fortuitous escape to the graveyard down the road. There, he gets adopted by the Owens and under the protection of the mysterious Silas. Over the course of the book we visit Bod's coming of age via what seems like stand alone short story chapters every couple of years in Bod's life from toddler until he grows up and reaches 15 years of age.
From his run in the early 1990's of his The Sandman comic books and other comic books, I've really enjoyed the stories of Neil Gaiman. I've only briefly dipped into his novels so far,
Stardust,
American Gods plus his short stories anthology,
Fragile Things, and seen the movie adaptation of his novel
Coraline, so I wanted to read more.
I'd heard good things about The Graveyard Book, it has been well received and has won several honours, including the Carnegie Medal, Newbery Medal plus the prestigious Hugo Award for Best Novel, so I thought I'd give it a go - I was not disappointed!
By the time you reach the the end of the book and the climactic conclusion, you are emotionally wrapped up in Bod's journey to adolescence, that you might shed a tear when he passes through the gates of the graveyard for the last time.
Overall, despite the supposed macabre setting of the main character living in a graveyard, The Graveyard Book is a wonderful story that I can't recommend enough.
***** out of 5
