Charles “Fat Charlie” Nancy is an unremarkable Londoner whose
staid boring world is thrown into complete uproar by the death of his mostly
absent father who it turns out wasn’t a vivacious retiree in Florida but the physical
incarnation of the West African Spider God Anansi. Still reeling from this Fat
Charlie’s previously unknown brother then turns up at his door, seduces Charlies
fiancé and implicates him in a embezzlement scam that could have fatal
consequences for them all. Charlie is then forced into a quest to prove his
innocence and save them all from Anansi’s oldest and most vicious enemy.
Neil Gaiman wrote the book on magical realism, actually he’s
written several of them including Neverwhere, American Gods and the Sandman
graphic novels. And like those in Anasi Boys he weaves myth and folk stories
throughout the narrative which give it a real depth. The Stories showing
Anansi’s sense of humour are great and in general I found this one of the
funniest of his books. There is a sense of playfulness with the reader being
tempered by a much darker side that seems to lurk threateningly in the
background always ready to pounce.
No comments:
Post a Comment