The Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman
The Graveyard Book Cover

The Graveyard Book (Audio version)

Zoori
5/15/2016
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This was the first Gaiman's book I have read, so given all the praise and awards, the expectations were pretty high. And I must admit, the story is indeed original and well-narrated. It is, as the author puts it, the graveyard version of 'The Jungle Book'. After his whole family is murdered, a child ends up in a graveyard under the protection of its ghosts who become his parents, teachers and friends. Whilst growing up he explores the world around him and experiences great adventures.

Unfortunately, somehow I failed to get into the story and to really start caring for the characters. To me, it seemed like a collection of different stories about a boy who lives in a graveyard rather than one continuous story, as the story lacked integrity. But the ending was really touching and brilliant. And I started to treat the story in a slightly different way after the author's ending note where he explains how he came up with the story and how it is related to his own experience as a parent.

But I loved the full-cast production of the audio-book! Yet I am sure that this book is a must-read to all the Gaiman fans and to all readers who enjoy well-narrated and magical stories.