Review: The Graveyard Book

Discussion

It seems slightly ridiculous to “review” a novel that is as cherished as The Graveyard Book. A novel that is over a decade old. A novel written by one of the greatest authors of all time … I mean, what can a measly little reviewer say?

Nothing, really, except you should do yourself a favour and read this. That is assuming if you, like me (a self proclaimed Gaiman super fan), haven’t done so already.

I’ve read an interview with Neil Gaiman in which he says he doesn’t write his stories, other than American Gods, with any singular audience in mind. He doesn’t consider his stories definitively middle grade or children’s fiction, young adult or adult fiction. “Visiting or revisiting books at different ages gives you a different book each time. The Coraline that a seven year old girl reads will not be the same book a fifty year old man reads …” I think this is resoundingly true for The Graveyard Book. Reading this as an adult, but especially as a parent of a preteen, is what leant the book such power for me. On the one hand this is a somewhat spooky The Jungle Book retelling of a boy growing up in a graveyard and all the fantastical adventures he experiences. On the other hand it is a deeply touching story of growing up, discovering yourself, and letting your children go off into the world. The gift that is life. The importance of our names, our identities, how these grow with time, how they change … “You’re always you, and that don’t change, and you’re always changing, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

I loved this book. I was a bit skeptical at first as the story sets itself up rather slowly, but once Bod’s story gets going I found it quite difficult to put down. This isn’t just an imaginative romp of a story about a boy who lives in a graveyard – which of course it is and does it well, but, as with all Neil Gaiman, a greater working conversation on growing up, becoming oneself, living, learning and letting go. I would be apprehensive to just hand this off as middle grade, as it can be quite an unsettling adventure – Bod’s family is murdered in the opening pages after all – but as an adult I greatly enjoyed it. It was simply fantastic. Definitely recommend the audiobook narrated by Neil Gaiman himself.

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Written by Kelly Barnhill

Published by Algonquin Young Readers

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org