Rating: 5/5
I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book… maybe Jurassic Park as a 12-year old? I can almost feel the author chuckling while writing this urban fantasy novel about the London underworld. Gaiman masterfully paints pictures in your mind, and you enjoy spending time with his characters. This is how he introduces his villains:
“…he walked over to his knife, and picked it up by the hilt. There was a gray rat impaled on the blade, its mouth opening and closing impotently as the life fled. He crushed its skull between finger and thumb.
‘Now there’s one rat that won’t be telling any more tales,’ said Mr. Croup. He chuckled at his own joke. Mr. Vandemar did not respond. ‘Rat. Tales. Get it?”’
Mr. Vandemar pulled the rat from the blade and began to munch on it, thoughtfully, head first…”
Lately, I’ve been exploring genres outside literary fiction: young adult, thrillers, fantasy. Neverwhere was easy and fun to read. Books – and life – don’t always have to be so serious.
Gaiman writes in his introduction: “I wanted to talk about the people who fall through the cracks, to talk about the dispossessed – using the mirror of fantasy, which can sometimes show us things we have seen so many times that we never see them at all – for the very first time.”
To me, the book was a clarion call to live with more imagination – to look at the world and your life and question accepted ways of living. The protagonist, Richard, is drifting through a predictable life of forgettable work, dull conversations, and being bossed around by his status conscious fiancé. It’s not a bad life. But once he emerges from the London Underworld so full of color and adventure, which life will he choose?
The book reminds me of a birthday card I’ve kept with a smiling child flying a makeshift airplane. And then this quote:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
– Helen Keller
I’ll study Neverwhere for Gaiman’s evocative descriptions, brisk pacing, and unforgettable characters. And if life starts feeling dull, maybe it’s because I’m not really paying attention.