The Graveyard Book Falls Flat: A Disappointing Read

I stumbled upon Neil Gaiman's works after watching 'Good Omens.' I'd been trying to get into his stuff, but 'The Graveyard Book' was next on my list, thanks to a friend who lent me a copy.

I finally found a copy of this book in stores, too.

It's pretty easy to find this book for sale.

WHERE TO BUY: In Russia, Ozon, and other places.

PRICE: From 300 rubles and up, depending on the publisher.

PUBLISHER: I got the 'AST' edition.

This edition doesn't have any illustrations. Just plain text on 288 pages.The print quality is pretty basic, despite the eye-catching cover and the spooky graveyard fence on the back. The pages themselves are yellow, rough, and slightly thicker than newspaper.

The text is printed well, though, with a decent-sized font and no typos that I noticed.PUBLICATION YEAR:

2019

The book was actually written in 2008, so this edition is 11 years after the first publication.

SYNOPSIS:

I have to say, the synopsis is more appealing than the book itself. But I'll get to that later.

CHARACTERS:

The main character, Nick, is a kid who ends up on a graveyard after his family is brutally murdered by a guy named Jack. He's probably the most well-rounded character in the book.

Nick's story is told over 7 chapters, where we see the key events of his life on the graveyard and his interactions with other beings: the living, the dead, and those in between.Simon is Nick's guardian and a crucial part of the kid's survival. He's the one who feeds, clothes, and educates Nick. In the beginning, he's this mysterious figure in a black overcoat, hinting at secrets surrounding his presence on the graveyard. He's secretive and enigmatic.

Jack, on the other hand, is the ruthless killer who slaughtered Nick's family. He's not particularly interesting on his own, but his motivations are the main mystery of the book.

The ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard are numerous, ranging from Nick's adoptive parents to a witch who died 500 years ago. Each has their own story, although we only get a glimpse into some of them... not all.

Other entities living on or near the graveyard.

I was really looking forward to a dark and intriguing story, but what I got was a boring and disjointed narrative with way too many plot holes.

MY THOUGHTS:

Honestly, I was disappointed. The cover art set the tone for a spooky and mysterious story, but the actual story fell flat. Neil Gaiman claims to have spent over 20 years developing this story, but to me, it feels like it was rushed out in a few days.

The characters are shallow and their motivations are never fully explained. Each chapter is supposed to be a key episode in the child's life on the graveyard, teaching them something and moving the plot forward, but that's not what I got. Some chapters are completely irrelevant to the story, while others are dragged out or poorly paced.

It's like there's no cohesion at all. I'm still trying to figure out why this book won so many awards and received so much praise.

The only thing that saved this book for me was the author's easy-to-read writing style. I was able to finish it in just a few hours.

I will say that the graveyard atmosphere is somewhat well-done, but it's not as dark and mysterious as I expected. In fact, it's almost peaceful and serene, kind of like when I visit my relatives' graves to clean them.

PARALLELS WITH OTHER FAMOUS WORKS:

1) Gaiman openly admits that he was inspired by 'The Jungle Book', and in the original version, the story was even called 'The Graveyard Book'. However, I think there are too many parallels between the two stories: the adoptive parents from another world, the guardian from the 'adjacent' beings, and the unusual teacher.

Essentially, the logic of the world and the relationships between the child and their 'society' are very similar to Kipling's. There's no new idea here.

2) It's surprising, but the setup of the story and its resolution are heavily influenced by 'Harry Potter'. I see references to the first and fifth books.

While the story of 'the boy who survived' was well-explained and logical, Gaiman didn't put much effort into it. The ending feels rushed and forced, with no sense of completion or thoughtfulness. But there's definitely a sense of plagiarism here!

3) The witch's story.

I have to say, after finishing this one, I'm left with a lingering feeling of 'good omens'. This part of the story is actually the most engaging and well-thought-out. It's a relief to see a narrative that doesn't drag or leave you hanging. I think that's because Neil Gaiman's done something similar before.

I've got to be honest, despite my respect for Neil Gaiman, 'The Graveyard Book' barely scrapes a C+. I won't be re-reading it, and I wouldn't recommend buying a copy. I'd even give it away and forget about it! I'm worried that even fans of dark fairy tales by Burton will find it dull, so I wouldn't recommend it.

THE GOOD:

- atmospheric;

- easy to read.

THE BAD:

- a poorly thought-out plot;

- logical gaps;

- it feels like a lazy rip-off in many places;

- the characters are poorly developed;

- the ending is all over the place and uninteresting.

If you're into dark fairy tales, I'd recommend 'Coraline' instead - it's a much better read.