Anansi Boys

Another wacky tale which has supernatural characteristics in it, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.  The last Gaiman book I read I didn’t like at all, but this one was pretty entertaining.  It's the story of Fat Charlie (who is not actually fat) who after learning of his father’s death meets the evil brother he never knew that he had.  Fat Charlie, estranged from his father, is engaged to Rosie but learns right before the wedding his father has died and Charlie needs to go to the US (New Orleans – which yes, I am here now- weird huh?) to finalize the proceedings around his father’s will.  His father dies while singing at a karoke bar trying to flirt with a younger woman - did I say there were really funny parts in this book? – there are!  When in New Orleans, Charlie learns he has a brother, and that his father was an incarnation of the West African spider god, Anansi, hence his name.  Luckily Charlie didn’t get the evil side, but his brother “Spider” did!  Charlie is told by the father’s neighbors about how he might meet up with Spider, unfortunately he finds him and now his life is turned upside down!  Spider steals his fiancee, gets him indicted for stealing from his place of employment, gets arrested, yet he does get revenge of sorts… he goes to the place where the spirits are located and makes a deal with the spirits to give of his blood line in exchange for getting rid of Spider.  The spirits get the “birds,” almost like a Hitchcock movie moment, to capture Spider.  More mayhem continues through in the sub-plot of Charlie’s evil boss who killed someone and left their body in a secret passageway in his office, which Charlie helps uncover.  You have a well-intertwined and exciting story.  Nothing like a good brother vs. evil brother story line, but this one is good, and funny!  So how does it end?  Well, you’ll have to read it to find out, but just know good brother doesn’t get his “main squeeze” back but he ends up ok in the end.  Again, a really good book, funny and full of intrigue and magical moments!  Neat how it included New Orleans while I was there traveling for the ACUHO-I conference.  Yes, we did do the ghost story trips in the most haunted city in the US.