Goodbye, Fat Charlie

I'm sad to have to say goodbye to Fat Charlie. And Spider.

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman, is a supernatural and intriguing experience, that is satisfyingly grounded in reality. It has just the right blend of creepiness, suspense, humor, and shock-moments.

Fat Charlie Nancy is probably the most ordinary person you could ever meet. Or, at least you think - and he thinks - he's the most ordinary person you could ever meet. See, Fat Charlie has no idea that his father, who has just recently dropped dead mid-song on a karaoke stage, was a god. Nor did he have any idea, until recently, that he has a brother who inherited all their dad's special talents. "If you need him, just tell a spider. He'll come running," Mrs. Higgler, an old family friend, tells Fat Charlie one night.

Well, as to be expected, that's what Fat Charlie does, although he blames the foolishness on the fact he's had one too many to drink. Sure enough, the next morning there's a knock on the door. Fat Charlie invites his brother, Spider, in. The moment Spider steps foot into Fat Charlie's house is the very moment the course of Fat Charlie's ordinary life is intercepted and derailed. His brother ends up being way more than Fat Charlie had bargained for. And now he refuses to leave.

Through many strange and supernatural events, Fat Charlie ends up finding out the truth about his father, his heritage, and himself all while dealing with the complexities of the various relationships he finds himself in. Neil Gaiman has spun a fantastic tale in Anansi Boys.

Yeah, so, my father was a god...

I'm now reading Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Since I'm a writer of kid's fiction I tend to read kids' books a lot, but every now and then I'll join the land of the grown-ups and choose a book for a more "mature" audience. Luckily for me, since I enjoy his kids' lit so much, Neil Gaiman is one of those authors whose skillful talent reaches many age groups. And it's not even like he's one of the lucky ones who only writes books for kids and adults happen to like them, too. Although, in the cases of his children's books, that's very evident.

I'm looking forward to spending time with Fat Charlie, to see how his life changes after his father drops dead mid-song on a karaoke stage: A father who, unbeknownst to Fat Charlie, just also happens to have been Anansi, the trickster god...