Anansi Boys by Neil GaimanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The story starts a bit slow, but as the pieces start to come together, it hooks you. Gaiman uses Caribbean and African myths as a backdrop to tell a story that is ultimately about finding yourself in the world. It is about coming to grips with where you came from (your parents, your ancestry), but at the same time being you and not letting that stuff either keep you down or define who you are.
Gaiman has a knack for writing stories that blend the mundane and the fantastical. Anansi Boys is no different: the fantastical world of the myths and stories fit naturally into the life of a rather boring bookkeeper’s life. Still, as the stories are told, this mundane boring life changes, evolves into something new and compelling.
Some might not like the tidiness of the ending or the predictability of various plot-lines; but the story captures the imagination and you want to ride out what you know is coming: (1) to make sure that is indeed what will happen and (2) because you want to watch it happen.
FWIW: I haven't read American Gods (yet)
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