Neil Gaiman is one of those authors whose books have always been on my radar, but always kind of at the periphery for some unknown reason. I loved Anansi Boys, and devoured American Gods, but that's it. I've dipped in and out of Sandman, but its sheer size has intimidated me slightly.
When I found this in my local library I had no excuse. And I'm so glad I did.
Its a wonderfully dark little tale, with a unique voice and sound throughout. Whimsical and lyrical in its prose, its so easy to get lost in the pages. Bod is a great character, always wanting to do the right thing while always aware of the fact that he is different to those around him. A quite lovely little parable for children who find themselves different, but loved nonetheless, and the challenges that this can bring.
Bod's strength and ability to overcome and fight his demons comes from his time in the magical world of the graveyard. As a child he is given the rather vague and nebulous freedom of the graveyard, which gives him certain magical abilities such as Fading and Haunting. We meet him as an orphaned baby and watch him grow so by the time the last pages come up on us we are really invested in his life and hope to see him to do well beyond the confines of this story.
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