"A Storm is Coming"- Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods'

It seems like its been such a long time, but I remember when I was completely engrossed in reading. There wasn't much to do before college, so my lazy high school afternoons were filled with trips to the library or my local Borders' bookstore. I must have been reading around 5 books a week back then. My choices varied from the usual young adult fare to the Classics, but despite my love of reading College and Graduate school ended up practically destroying my joy of reading for fun. I think I only read a handful of "fun" books over the past 7 years, doing my best to only keep up with my old favorites like Jim Butcher and his series The Dresden Files ( 15 books and counting!!!) and of course the newest releases by Neil Gaiman, a particular favorite from my high school days.

 

Waiting on Peace Talks here, Mr. Butcher!

However, I have finally found that I have time for fun reading again. I don't have to worry over translating those 500 lines of Seneca or comp exams that made me feel to frantic and guilty over reading for fun when I should be reading to graduate. I definitely found myself in an all-to-vicious cycle. As luck would have it, I also found myself in the unique situation of having to clear out my old childhood room, discovering boxes and boxes of my childhood bookshelves. While most of my books ended up donated at my local library, I kept my personal favorite and put them out on display in my new apartment. With this, I decided to revisit some of my old favorites, and seeing that American Gods has a new show coming out soon I thought it was the perfect place to start!

I remember the 15 year old version of myself becoming absolutely enthralled with the worlds and words Mr. Gaiman would put on the pages of his works. Even Good Omens, which despite being a joint effort from both authors comes out feeling much more like a Terry Pratchett novel, still has that hint of Gaiman's personal flair for the meticulous and the foreboding. Therefore, I found myself being drawn to reading both Gaiman's short stories and novels over and over again. My copies of American Gods and Good Omens in particular are stained in that beautiful color that only a well-loved book becomes (you know the one), with those perfect and nostalgic creases on the binding. Truly beautiful is a well-worn book!

Now, I'm not going to give a full synopsis of the book's plot, its been in the news  a lot and is easily Googled, this is merely a reflection on rereading a book I haven't read in over 3 years. And how exactly does the book hold up? Does it still meet 15-year-old-me's expectations and feelings of wonder?

*Spoilers*

 Yes and No. Gaiman's prose is still elegant and thorough. Each word is purposefully crafted to leave subtle hints to the novel's plot, which is often derailed purposefully by Mr. Wednesday. I also found myself looking more closely and noticing this time around all of the subtle details Gaiman inserted in the text. He definitely researched his mythology for this book, take it from a person with a degree in Classics and T.A.'d a Myth class. There are little references and actions that hearken back to the original myths that completely slipped by me in earlier readings.

I also found myself enjoying the offshoot chapters on characters such as the Djinn more this time around. Sometimes realizing that despite being side stories to the plots that appreciating them moreso helps you understand the main characters and their motivations.

I do wish that Mr. Gaiman had included more of a focus on the Native American side of the story, it feels underutilized this time around, but perhaps that serves to contrast against the struggle of the New and Old Gods, who are desperately fighting for meaning and a place in the minds of mankind. I don't claim to know much about this subject myself, as my Classics education is surprisingly limited sometimes in things like this. 

I also found the climax of the novel to be more rushed and unfulfilling, especially Wednesday's death. There is so much build up of Wednesday and Shadow meeting gods, disrupted by side stories and Shadow being on his own, that the resolution feels more lackluster, like a few chapters were shortened to keep the novel under 600 pages. Maybe, though, this is just a result of waiting 10 years for George R.R. Martin to finally finish A Song of Ice and Fire....

Most surprising, though, was my disinterest with Shadow, the main character. I remember him being more engaging and dynamic. He seemed stale and almost as dead as Laura really was. I've actually spent a lot of time thinking about this problem: Am I finding him not compelling because my last few years have left me disenchanted with things like he seems to be? Has my ability to delve into fantasy worlds and think about amazing futures for myself finally disappeared into the Twilight zone? 

Shadow's best moments are in Cairo and in Lakeside, when he finds himself having a semblance of a normal life like he originally wanted in the beginning pages of the novel. I think the answer to this problem I have with Shadow relates back to his dynamic with Laura and the ending when he does the vigil on the tree. Shadow isn't alive until he "dies." We finally find him in the end travelling and taking charge of his life, like I wanted him to do throughout the whole novel. Nothing matters to him until then, because only after that seminal moment can he forgive Laura and move on. He learns to forgive and move on unlike Mr. Wednesday and Low Key, who can't accept being forgotten by a world that no longer needs them. Does this fix my problem with him? Sort of. 

Still, this novel is beautifully written and if you like other works by Gaiman or even other authors who write in detailed, wordy styles I would still recommend it. If that isn't your cup of tea, Gaiman might not be for you. Despite my new estrangement with Shadow and my desire for more focus on the Native American side of things, this is still a very expertly crafted book as many reviews have noted. Overall, I still enjoyed it and will enjoy it next time I pick it up. Gaiman can build worlds in the smallest of short stories to the longest of novels, and I hope the new Starz series does this book justice.