An amusing book set in the same FictoVerse as American Gods, though featuring none of the same main characters, Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys tells the story of Fat Charlie and Spider the twin (sort of) sons of Anansi, the Spider God.
If you recall the trials of Shadow from the first novel, the tribulations Fat Charlie suffers here will feel similar. This boy did know his dad growing up, but if you asked he’d probably say whether this was a good thing would be an extremely close thing. Nanometer separation; certainly he was terribly embarrassed and moved across the Atlantic to get far enough away.
Then again, Anansi never explained he was a god or that Charlie had a brother (sort of). He dies, bringing Charlie back to south Florida just in time to sweat through his suit shoveling dirt to close up dad’s grave. Four aged neighbor women are the only mourners and afterwards they try to tell him who his father really was, then send him on a trippy visit to a different reality where the other animal gods, who Anansi tricked out of their powers and stories, live and wait.
The women also tell him about Spider. He calls for his brother and soon enough finds he isn’t a long last pal. In an ill-advised attempt to be rid of a guest who never learned that fish and visits both spoil after a few days, Charlie asks for help from a very wrong quarter. Spider also, in innocent incompetence, triggers Charlie’s boss’s escape plan–the man’s been skimming from clients for decades–which brings the police down on our hapless hero.
Gaiman does something very well that few other authors even consider trying. He’s found a way to mix traditional lighthearted folktales with post-modern anti-heroes. Both Fat Charlie and Shadow are living lost lives, no direction, no family warmth, beaten down enough so that the avoidance of the negative is enough to make them happy. Then they learn their true heritage and things get really bad. Wonderfully entertaining, light on its feet and fast-paced.
recommended
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