100 Word Book Review: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

(Originally posted June 23, 2010)

Gaiman is an incredibly talented writer, but he made a name for himself by writing about the dark side of a world disturbingly similar to ours. Read American Gods and you will know why.

The characters are incredibly well drawn and three dimensional. You care about the main character and root for him throughout, but most writers can pull that off. What sets Gaiman apart is the richness of all the other characters- not just the secondary characters but everyone in the background.

His real coupe, though, is to end the book with creepiness tempered by a touch of hope.

(Review after a second reading originally posted on February 5, 2011)

I just finished reading American Gods for the second time. It actually made more sense to me this time around because I was not as busy trying to figure out what was happening and could pay more attention to the little details. Things that never seemed to fit before fell nicely in to place.

This is Gaiman at his adult storytelling best. The book is dark, the characters layered and imperfect. There is no happy ending, only the understanding that life goes on, and the knowledge that even if home could be defined, sometimes, you just can’t go home again.