Roughly halfway through every year, I get tired of reviewing every single book I read. That feeling is compounded by the fact that I’ve been reading so much lately. Which explains why I’ve waited so long to review a book I finished two weeks ago.
Anyway. Anansi Boys. Have I mentioned that I love Neil Gaiman? I read The Ocean at the End of the Lane as soon as I could get my hands on it, and I was enraptured. Such a story! I couldn’t wait long to read more, and Anansi Boys didn’t disappoint. It’s been so long since I’ve read most of the Gaiman books I have that I’m not quite sure how to place it. Definitely on top of Good Omens and (I think) American Gods, but below The Ocean at the End of the Lane. I’m not clear on where Stardust and Neverwhere fit in anymore. (I’ve been thinking about rereading Neverwhere because Palmer is currently listening to the audiobook, and things he says about it make me remember how much I liked it.)
Anansi boys is about the trickster god Anansi and his two sons, Fat Charlie and Spider. They’ve led entirely different lives, and meet for the first time since childhood when they’re in their late 20s and their father dies. Terrific mischief ensues, involving various murderous subplots and all the other old gods.
It’s funny and hard to put down. I read it continuously while I traveled to Michigan for a library conference. I was glued to it for the entire flight between Dallas and Detroit, only looking up long enough to take pictures like this:
And once I got to my hotel, I curled up with a glass of wine and my book, and finished it quickly.
It was also the end of my reading tear – I’d brought along Ken Kesey‘s second novel, Sometimes a Great Notion, which I had a feeling would be too long and ambitious for my attention span at the moment (which is funny since I’m reading A Storm of Swords right now), so my reading has slowed way down. Anansi Boys, though, I couldn’t stop reading. It reminded me how much I like Neil Gaiman and made me want to revisit his books that I’ve already read. Maybe I’ll even give Good Omens another chance.
