This YA book is a classic coming of age tale, except the central character, Nobody Owens, is coming of age in a graveyard. Rescued by the inhabitants when his family is brutally murdered by a mysterious figure known as Jack, Nobody is raised by the ghosts and a guardian vampire, making friends and having adventures. The Jacks never stop looking for him, and he, as he grows up, wants answers about what happened to his family and why.
The Graveyard Book is Gaiman’s usual good work: by turns funny, dark, and poignant (growing up means losing things and people we love), well-written, and well plotted. For example, the adventures Nobody has when he is a child turn into his weapons against the Jacks when he is a teen - they are both entertaining interludes in the book and also set-up for later action, in perfect genre form. The characters are sparsely drawn and solid, with Nobody as the observer-actor in the middle.
If you like Gaiman, you’ll like this. If you haven’t tried him, what are you waiting for. Great for children, good for adults.
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