Anasi Boys (+ 6 pts)

 I was very interested to read a book by Neil Gaiman because I absolutely love the story Coraline. Someone who has such an interesting and creative mind to come up with a story like that probably would not disappoint with his other fantasy stories. I have to say, "Anasi Boys" did not disappoint me.

It was definitely worth the read and very interesting. At the beginning, I was already engaged just learning about how Fat Charlie's father was a negative aspect of his life. I could see that the main character was going to be one of the self-loathing types which I don't particularly enjoy reading because I enjoy more emotional characters. His wife, Rosie, was definitely more on the positive side that I could enjoy. As the story continues with Charlie's father's death, I became more interested in where the story was headed and what would truly make this a fantasy.

I did not expect how quickly it would turn. All of a sudden, I was reading a story about African Gods. Charlie's father was a god that is a trickster named Anasi, Charlie has a brother who has inherited his father's powers, Spider (Charlie's brother) goes on to impersonate him, Charlie's boss trying to frame him for embezzlement, the animalistic Gods...it was definitely and unique story. I was very entertained and definitely felt myself surprised with each turn. It was also humorous and had me laughing a few times. 

I liked the themes involved in this story as well. Not only were the elements of fantasy there, but Charlie ends up turning his entire life around from beginning to end. He always had bad luck and always felt embarrassed when he was growing up to the point that he avoided his own father. One Spider shows up, he's forced to take on challenges he would have never imagined and it all results in him discovering his own powers- his mind altering reality. He becomes a whole new person. Though Spider frustrated me when he entered Charlie's life and began to toy around with it, it is so important that this happened so Charlie could begin a journey of self-discovery involving his family and his powers. This story definitely made me more open to wanting to read more of Neil Gaiman's books.

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