Anansi Boys

This week was a week for mythic fiction, where we read Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. Anansi Boys was my first Gaiman novel and I really enjoyed reading it. I do not tend to read this genre either, but II will probably read more Gaiman. I found Anansi Boys to be very humorous and enjoyable.
As I began to read, it took me awhile to figure out who Fat Charlie was. Gaiman automatically names Fat Charlie as he introduces his father, but as a reader I did not know who Fat Charlie was making the beginning confusing for me. Of course, as I continued on further through the novel, I realized who Fat Charlie was and how he was the main character. Actually, the way that Gaiman introduces his characters in this novel is different than what I have read before, which made my experience reading this novel even more enjoyable.
The character Fat Charlie seemed very weak; he was not in control of his work life or really his personal life. It seemed as if he could not hold a job and the only reason his fiancé had agreed to marry him was because her mother hated the idea.
Unfortunately, I did not have time to complete Anansi Boys during the week. I have reached the part where Fat Charlie has just asked for help from a God to get rid of his brother, Spider. Now, figuring out his father was a God was a twist I had not seen coming and then also that Fat Charlie had a brother who had gotten all of the God-like abilities. The contrasting characters of Fat Charlie and Spider created a nice dramatic encounter between the two and also created the conflict of the novel.
It took me a few chapters to realize that the characters in the novel are of African descent. Gaiman never comes out to reveal what his characters actually look like, but through his descriptions of other aspects of the characters it starts to become clear.
I would really enjoy finishing Anansi Boys and begin to read more of his novels. Gaiman has a nice sense of humor throughout the novel and it never seems to get stiff. I look forward to finishing Gaiman’s Anansi Boys when I get the opportunity.