Read 3 for 2013: American Gods – Neil Gaiman

There is something about Neil Gaiman's writing, which draws you to it. I guess it has to do about the surreal nature of his stories. It is a kind of a fairy tale narration which makes unearthly beings- no not the ET kind, but more the angels, demons and gods - seem tangible, real. There is a certain flow to the prose which make his novels very hard to set down – like you cannot determine whether this right here would be a logical stop or should I indulge a bit more and postpone my lunch for just a bit more. Before I read American Gods, Gaiman wove his magic for me through 'Stardust' and then the 'Anansi Boys'.

American Gods is full of metaphors. It is a difficult read mind you. There were times galore when I had to resort to Wiki to better appreciate what was being conveyed. This is not your typical day at the park read, but more of an academic pursuit if you would want to appreciate the true nature of the plot. At the end of it all you come off the wiser. You need such a mind bender once a while, just to assure you that you can still take the heavy stuff apart from the hubris of those run of the mill thrillers.

America is what the immigrants made off it. Each set of people who came to this land for whatever reason, brought with them their beliefs, their cultures and most importantly their Gods. They worshipped their Gods, appeasing them with whatever rituals they conjured up. The Gods fed on these and attained their strengths. As time passed on these Gods were forgotten. Newer Gods came to the fore, like the God of the railroad, Goddess of Media, God of the plastic money. As the new Gods grew in prominence, the old Gods were forgotten and grew weak in this land of opportunity. This was when the All-Father Odin and Loki set out a plan to regain their strengths and be more powerful than they ever were.

The Gods of whatever kinds I mention above all have human traits in the narrative which is where the metaphors come in. Each metaphor has to be carefully understood to take in the true extent of what is being talked about. The protagonist is a guy named Shadow who is later revealed to be Odin's son and a pawn in this whole game; however there sure are surprises in store.

The narrative is interspersed with stories which date back to the first settlers who made their way to America and details their trials and tribulations as they settled in this new land with stories about their Gods. 

I did lose my way in between because I must say that this one requires you to be on your toes. If you can do that then when everything comes together at the end and when the trick is revealed a sense of fulfillment runs over you. You just cannot wait but tip your hat to the story-teller that is Neil Gaiman!

Next read : A is for Alibi – Sue Grafton.

A pacey crime thriller is just right to warm me down after this.