American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman, 541 pages

After spending three years in prison, Shadow is heading home when he learns that his wife has died in a car accident, which also killed the man who was going to give Shadow a job. Suddenly liberated and adrift, Shadow falls in with the mysterious Wednesday, who hires him to do some driving and other odd jobs. What follows is a meandering adventure on the backroads of the United States, traveling from one roadside attraction to another, meeting various foreign gods brought here (and later forgotten) by immigrants.

I FINALLY got around to reading this book, which has been on my to-read pile for years (literally), and I'm so glad I did. Shadow is simultaneously complex and simple, serving as a great medium for the reader to observe the much more vivid and intriguing characters Shadow meets on his travels. We never learn Shadow's real name, and I think that's a deliberate choice on Gaiman's part. He has a penchant for writing from the point of view of unnamed (or in this case, nicknamed) characters, which makes way for the story, which as always is masterfully told. Weaving together the old gods and the new (technology, media, etc), Gaiman has created a story of faith, love, horror, coin tricks, and con men, and it's awesome. Check this one out if you haven't already.

As an added note, I read the 10th anniversary author's edition, which included many of the bits that had been edited out of the originally released version, as well as an interview with Gaiman and a post-script about why he, a Brit, chose to write about America. It's well worth picking up this edition, just for those "special features."