American Gods Review Part I

[darkauthor26]

I’m reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and I have to say it’s a fascinating book. I don’t think I’ll understand everything and see how it all connects until after I’ve read it a few times. And, in fact, there are so many things happening, that I feel like I’m forgetting some important details. Perhaps I’m not, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something. That something deeper is being said that I can’t quite get a hold of--especially with some lines such as Wednesday’s insistence that winter were “dead months” and that a victory in winter would be “a dead victory”. Shadow believes (with a sinking feeling) that he knows what Wednesday is referring to, but I can’t figure it out for the life of me.

I also admit to loving that the things that are big in America and the rest of the world, such as television and technology have their own gods. And not in the metaphorical sense. The gods and goddess of the old days such as Odin, Ibis, Kali and numerous other gods from mythology (except for Horus who is stuck as a hawk and is quite mad now a days) are fighting for their lives against the Gods of the new world: the gods and goddesses of television and technology and shopping malls. Peoples’ belief and devotion to these things has created new gods and goddesses which feed on the sacrifices we give to them.

“Who are you?” asked Shadow.

“Okay,” she said. “Good question. I’m the idiot box. I’m the TV. I’m the all-seeing eye and the world of the cathoderay. I’m the boob tube. I’m the little shrine the family gathers to adore.”

“You’re the television? Or someone in the television?”

“The TV’s the altar. I’m what people are sacrificing to.”

“What do they sacrifice?” asked Shadow.

“Their time mostly,” said Lucy. “Sometimes each other.” She raised two fingers, blew imaginary gunsmoke from the tips. Then she winked, a big old I Love Lucy wink. (p.175)

This novel is fascinating. I can’t wait to see how it ends. I honestly can’t imagine that Wednesday and the other gods will win this fight, though it will be exciting to watch them try. I would also like to learn more about Shadow’s involvement in all this. Wednesday hired him as a bodyguard, but from the moment they first met, it’s clear that Wednesday actively picked him, actively sought him out instead of picking any old person to be his bodyguard and errand-boy.

I also have to admit to seeing a side story with casual homosexual sex. And by casual, I mean the native tone of that side story doesn’t change at all. It’s a casual telling of a middle eastern man in New York, Salim, who meets a down-on-his-luck jinn working as a taxi driver. They both lonely with no ties to their homelands, and both yearn for something better. Salim brings the jinn to his apartment and allows him to take a shower. The jinn comes out of the shower wearing only a towel and no sunglasses to hide his fiery eyes and Salim is struck by how beautiful he is. Things go from there. I appreciate it because I also appreciate seeing LGBT people and gay sex as no big deal. I appreciate it when the narrative and the tone don’t even blink as it comes and goes.

While I find it unusual to see such side stories in a novel, I’m finding that I enjoy them. They had a little more depth to the world that Gaiman is creating in this novel. Both in the present day and in the past.

Man, I wish I was as good as this guy. ;_;

Now I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book. Shadow is talking to one of Odin’s two ravens.

“Hey,” said Shadow. “Huginn or Muninn, or whoever you are.”

The bird turned, head tipped, suspiciously, on one side, and it stared at him with bright eyes.

“Say ‘Nevermore,’” said Shadow.

“Fuck you,” said the raven. (p.158-159)