Read what is supposedly Neil Gaiman's best novel, American Gods. Using the same medium that I used for the previous book I read of his, ( Ocean at the End of the Lane ), that of an audio book, I did a skim-read of an e-book, upon completing the audio version. The sheer size of the work, the various nuances that the book contained and the encyclopedic history ( I didn't try to do research on all of the Gods, and like characters that the book contains,but yet ) warranted it.
As a pure story, with mystery, fantasy, history, a little horror and culture, nurturing the narration, contribute to a thoroughly enjoyable read. If one is interested, they could dig up the origins of all these Gods. The book as a whole is dense with ideas, and I reckon needs to be appreciated for what it is, rather than trying to decipher a single main idea. The audio book that I listened to has an interview with the author in which he quotes a joke (not the funny kind ): "England is a Country in which a hundred miles is a long way,and America is a country in which a hundred years is along time." The essence of this statement is that if you travel long enough in America, you can find the histories of all the people,along with their beliefs scattered across the country. Hence we can see the gods of the immigrants of the Irish, the Norse, Egypt, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, China and so on. If we have a reader among us who would want to dig deep and find out about the histories of these immigrants, this novel will provide the perfect platform. I am sure this will provide germs for them scratch their heads for months. I for one, appreciate this opportunity, given that I have a never ending reading list staring at me.
There were at least two ideas that made an impression on me, in American Gods.
1- Most, if not all Gods, used to need sacrificial blood to sustain in the minds of their followers. The Gods in "American Gods" now appearing in human form, albeit with some not so apparent powers, stress this need for sacrifice. Hence, one cannot help but wonder, how much lives have been sacrificed over the years, for these beliefs. I was reminded of the sacrifice of Ikemefuna on the dictates of the Oracle, in Things fall apart.
2- How Science and Technology having replaced these mythical Gods, are changing at such a rapid speed that any technology can nary hold its' position of wonderment in the eyes of man for a decade, if that.
American Gods is both a picaresque book and a road trip book. If it wasn't for the fact that I was listening to it, I'd probably have The Rambling Man ( The Allman Brothers Band ) and Wiser Time (The Black Crowes ), playing on the background, especially when Nancy, Chernoborg and Shadow take the road trip in their VW mini Bus.
I mayn't have enjoyed, or more precisely started on this book if it was billed from limited reading time. Given that I listened to it over a month or even more, while driving to and from work, sometimes stuck in the Doha traffic, it was indeed a rewarding experience.
Who would enjoy this book ? Anyone who is not restricted to the constrains of reality, who has a taste for history and culture, and anyone who has taste for a good old winding yarn, with many a twists, and the end not visible for many a hundred pages.
No comments:
Post a Comment