The author of Stardust, Neil Gaiman's latest novel is titled Anansi Boys. Gaiman's fascination with Mythical Gods and Folklore
merge into the real world of average book-keeper Fat Charlie Nancy. At the heart of this novel is the universally
embarrassing relationship between parent and child. Fat Charlie blames his dad for ever walking the earth in his eccentric, embarrassing manner. He cringes when his father sings in public or arrives at the hospital wearing his unsightly weathered, green fedora hat. All fat Charlie wants is to live a boring, average life in London but events are soon to change all that.
The death of Fat Charlie's father sends him back home across the Atlantic to America where he finds that his father was not who he thought he was. Four helpful, interfering biddies inform Fat Charlie that he has a brother he has never heard of and - in simple terms - his father was a God. Anansi the Spider God
The introduction of brer rabbit tales and other animal folklore intertwine with the arrival of Fat Charlie's brother, Spider who uses his magic to cause havoc in Fat Charlie's humdrum life and steal his fiance in the process.
Gaiman has written a comedic
suspense thriller and thrown in a couple of childhood stories we all should know. The gem in this book is how effortlessly Gaiman has woven magic into 21st century reality. I must admit I skipped a few of the folklore parts - finding them irrelevant and spoiling the flow of the narrative. I was much more interested in the hanging suspense of what would happen between the brothers...
Located at the back of the book, the 'deleted scene,' interview with Neil Gaiman and journal entry are quirky and entertaining causing some laugh out loud moments.