Novel: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Horror and Suspense
307 pages
In the novel, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, a man named Jack goes into a family's house to murder the mother, father, and child of a house on a hill. Jack carries a sharp knife, ready to kill. After Jack murders the mother and father, he goes upstairs to the baby's room to kill the baby laying in a crib. But, as Jack walks up to the crib, the baby is nowhere to be found. The baby actually walked out of the house and was on the way to a nearby graveyard further up the hill. Jack decides to use his sense of smell to find the baby. The baby reaches the graveyard to find himself in front of his new ghost parents: Mr. and Mrs. Owens. They call the baby Bod and teach him the ways of life even though they are ghosts.
By the time Bod is four years old the Owens allow Bod to wonder where he meets a young girl Scarlet. Scarlet goes on adventures with Bod around the cemetery and when Scarlet is about to go home, her mother believes that Bod is actually an imaginary person. After months of Bod and Scarlet discovering more about the cemetery, Scarlet has to say her final goodbye when she makes a move to Scottland with her parents.
As time went by Bod continued to learn from his parents and the people around him the ways of a human. By the time Bod was fourteen Scarlett came back to visit after her parents split up. But little did Bod know that Jack was back too. And in a matter of days, Jack managed to get his sharp knife around Scarlet's neck. If you do want to know what ends up happening to Scarlet and Bod, please pick up this book; It is a must read.
I enjoyed this novel even though it wasn't my preferred genre of books. I was able to read a different style of text that was not only spooky but a page-turner. Jack is seen as the character who is supposed to murder the people of a once healthy living family, but the reader initially is unaware of the reason why. The main protagonist, Bod, who gets his name from "Nobody" is a unique character because he was able to live both the life of a ghost and a life of a human and still enjoy the things that he loved. I would rate this book a 10/10.
The book seems really strange but in an interesting way. I haven't ready any of Neil Gaiman's books, only his commencement address, but this book seems worth reading. However, I don't like the cliffhanger at the end because I actually wanted to know what happens to Scarlet.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very different book, kind of strange but in a cool way. I'm really into creepy, strange horror books. I've heard that Neil Gaiman is an amazing author especially for this genre. I know I'll read a book from him soon, maybe this one.
ReplyDeleteThis short summary completely intrigued me. Neil Gaiman is an author who I have always been interested in since one of the genres he writes is horror. This will probably be my next read
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ReplyDeleteThis is weird, but intriguing. Neil Gaiman sounds like a very interesting man just taking a look at this book that he wrote. I wonder where he derived his initial idea for this book from. Other than that, the book you read sounds very spooky; I like it. But, you got me there with the cliffhanger. I wanted to know what happens :(
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