The Graveyard Book Read-Along: Part 3

This is the final post in The Graveyard Book Read-Along hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings. You can find parts 1 and 2 here and here. In this final post I’m talking about Chapter 7 and 8 so there are obviously spoilers.

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
★★★★★

Every Man Jack: This chapter brought us the unexplained absence of Silas and the return of Bod’s childhood friend Scarlett. She and her mother move back to the small town and she makes friends with a man named Mr. Frost. Though I’d read the book before, I somehow forgot who Frost is revealed to be, so it caught me completely by surprise.

This is by far the scariest chapter in the book. The Jacks, who have been hunting Bod for years, are finally revealed in an ultimate fight between good and evil. We learn that Silas has been trying to eliminate Jacks all over the world with other members of the Honor Guard. The five remaining villains converge in the graveyard in an effort to void the prophesy that predicted Bod would be the end of their secret society.

By the end of the battle both sides have incurred losses. Bod looses both Miss Lupescu and in another way he loses his friend Scarlett again. He also looses his innocence in a way. He does what he has to in order to survive, but it changes him. 

Leavings and Partings: The book’s conclusion hit all the right notes for me. It was sweet and hopeful. Bod is only 15, but his time in the graveyard has come to an end. He feels the change and though he doesn’t understand it he accepts it. We know this when he answers his own question about returning to the graveyard.
 
“If I come back, it will be a place, but it won’t be home any longer."
 
I loved that he had the perfect goodbye with each person. I thought Mr. Owens was particularly poignant when he tells Bod that he is the son he always longed for during his life. Bod knew it wouldn’t be easy to walk away, but he does and that’s incredibly brave.
 
“But between now and then, there was Life; and Bod walked into it with his eyes and his heart wide open.”

BOTTOM LINE: It’s a wonderful, creepy coming-of-age story. Gaiman creates an unforgettable world in the graveyard and these characters will stay with me forever.

I also want to mention the illustrations in the book (done by Dave McKean). The first time I read it was as an audiobook, wonderfully narrated by the author himself. I missed the illustrations and they add so much to the story! They capture the spooky elements in Gaiman’s novel beautifully and I’d encourage you to get your hands on a copy to check them out if you listened to the audiobook.

Image from The Graveyard Book.

The Graveyard Book Read-Along: Part 2

 

For part II of the Read-Along hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings we are discussing Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of the book.

The Witch’s Headstone is about Bod’s introduction to a new section of the graveyard. It is also a lesson is giving people a chance. Nobody learns that if he is willing to let go of preconceived notions, prejudices and labels, then people can sometimes surprise you. He finds and unexpected friend in Liza the ghost and there’s something sweet about forming a friendship with someone even the other ghosts ignore.

Danse Macabre is just a beautiful chapter. It’s a joyful day for both the living and the dead when they come together and spend one night dancing. The bittersweet evening is wonderful in some ways, but then Bod realizes the living remember nothing from the dance and the dead refuse to talk about it. Also, Silas is excluding from the whole thing because he is neither living nor dead so he can’t participate. In this chapter Bod meets the Grey Lady for the first time and has a sweet interaction with her. He doesn’t really understand who she is and why he can’t ride on her horse yet.

Interlude: The Convocation: This isn’t a full chapter; it’s just a bit to show us that Bod’s family’s killer is still out there. It’s creepy in a good way and helps fuel the bigger story that the book is building towards.

Nobody Owens’ School Days is a hard chapter in a lot of ways. It brings up questions about when it’s okay to fight back and stand up for yourself. When you do fight back against bullies and how far should you take it? When is it ok to threaten or scare someone? Did Bod do the right thing? The whole dreamwalking bit is scary in a lot of ways, but it’s also fascinating. I could see this chapter being a great way to talk about some of these issues with kids in junior high. I think this chapter also shows how protective Silas feels. He would do anything to save him and he’s a man of actions and not words, so it’s important to see that love played out in this very tangible way.  

“It’s like the people who believe they’ll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn’t work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.”

“We wants you to stay alive. We wants you to surprise us and disappoint us and impress us and amaze us.”

“Fear is contagious. You can catch it. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to say that they’re scared for the fear to become real.”

Here’s Part 1 of the Read-Along.

The Graveyard Book Read-Along: Part 1

I first read The Graveyard Book a few years ago, before I was blogging. I immediately loved the tone of the book. Gaiman blended the innocence and naïveté of a young boy with the dark atmosphere of a ghost story. I’m re-reading it at a slower pace and I’ve noticed so much more that I love about the book. It’s a coming-of-age story and at its heart it’s about a boy who feels like he doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. That unifying feeling makes the book applicable to just about anyone, but especially young teens.

The first three chapters include How Nobody Came to the Graveyard, The New Friend, and The Hounds of God. The first chapter reminds me so much of The Jungle Book. I know this was an intentional decision on Gaiman’s part to loosely retell that story and I think he did it beautifully. Bod is struggling to figure out his place in the world while being raised in a very foreign environment, just as Mowgli did.

I also think it was interesting to structure the book as a collection of short stories instead of as a seamless novel. Giving us glimpses into Bod’s life as he grows up works wonderfully. Each chapter contains its own little story while at the same time adding pieces to the deeper mystery behind the murder of Bod’s family. I like that some things are implied, not spelled out. We can guess a bit about who Silas is, but we don’t know for sure where he comes from or what he is.

The New Friend chapter broke my heart for Bod. For the first time in his life he finds a living friend. She’s kind and playful and Bod is happy. But circumstances beyond his control end the friendship before it really has a chance to begin. Also, the indigo man and the whole cave were super creepy.

The Hounds of God is probably my least favorite chapter. I still loved the evolution of Bod’s relationship with Miss Lupescu, but not the kidnapping of Bod by the ghouls as much. I do think it was crucial for Bod to realize how much he values his life in the graveyard and this chapter does that. It also reminded me a tiny bit of the dwarves being captured by the trolls in The Hobbit.

Up next week I’ll talk about Chapters 4-6. Thanks again to Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting this read-along as part of his R.I.P. event!