"The Graveyard Book" is yet another children's book, albeit an acclaimed one; it was the somewhat controversial winner of the 2008 Newbery Medal. The controversy stems from its darkness and gloom (certainly hinted at by its title); indeed, though I am not a roses-and-kittens kind of guy, I was a little taken aback by its darkness at first as well. The opening scene is the knife-murder of the protagonist's entire family as they sleep. I'm happy to say that that is as overtly violent as the book gets, and the book won me over quickly with its warm characterizations, novel concept, solid writing, and quick-paced, keeps-you-guessing plot.
The protagonist (who's real name we never actually discover) is the lone survivor of his family's murder when he's only two years old; he toddles innocently from the bloody house and wanders into a graveyard. The ghosts who inhabit the graveyard take him in, protect him from his bloody-knifed pursuer, and give him a name: Nobody Owens (the "Owens" part comes from the kindly old ghost couple who agree to act as his parents). He goes by Bod for short, and he is raised quite happily by the departed and deceased in the walled, overgrown, mostly forgotten English graveyard. Its a great concept, and Neil Gaiman (truly a master storyteller - he also wrote the creepy children's novel "Coraline," recently made into a 3D movie) develops the characters, plot and setting with great skill and affection. There's a lot more plot to it - mostly dealing with Bod's education and his quest to discover the truth about (and exact vengeance for) his family's murder - but it really is the concept and memorable cast of characters that carry this commendable read. Its a page-turner that I've been meaning to read since it came out, and I'm very glad I did. I can't wait to press it into the hands of mature readers, and I'll do so with confidence that they'll thank me later. Frankly I'm surprised that the committee selected it for the gold medal, though I do feel that it deserves it. It was a bold pick, quite a bit "out of the box," and I think they made the right choice. It's one I'll be thinking about for quite awhile, and one that I may even have to pick up down the road and read again.
