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Ananzi Boys
Neil Gaiman was another author I was previously accustomed to before this course, but I had never read a novel that for a large part is centered in present day. I adore the word play, descriptive qualities, and humor his writing embodies. Even with the modern-day twist of this novel I could still feel the same magic of Stardust. For this novel in particular I found it surprising that Gaiman seems to so fluidly slip into a writing that sheds light into the African American culture (both the representation of that in Florida and the tall tale heritage aspect). It is quite unlike anything I have previously read, but found myself a fan from chapter one.
   Charlie’s relationship with his brother is anything but normal, and I found myself quite surprised that Charlie’s reactions to the displays of magic were not stronger. Sure, shock of his father’s death is still fresh, yet he seems to so mildly accept everything. But perhaps this is to strengthen the differences between his personality and that of his brother to the reader. While Gaiman reinvents myth by placing it in a modern day British context, he also doses so by including passages of tall tales of Ananzi. One of these is a variation on the tar baby, where Brer Rabbit is Ananzi the spider. By changing myths to fit his stories characters Gaiman is not only reinventing but also offering a deeper insight into culture that his book would otherwise not be able to provide the reader.

   During this novel I really enjoyed the character of Charlie. I felt a lot of parallelism between him and myself such as the shyness at the beginning. He freezes up in front of crowds, like in the karaoke bar. I too am reluctant to sing in front of people even though I like to sing. He is also unafraid to hamper his thoughts and observations. His observations about Rosie’s mother are horrible and awful, but hysterical as well. His way of comparison and fun poking reminded me greatly of my own in-head conversations. By drawing from fairly common afflictions of character, Gaiman is able to create characters that readers can almost instantly relate and care about. I think that this is probably one of the skills that attributes to his successful writings.

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