In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I figured this week I would keep things lighter and instead of blathering on about philosophy or the nature of love, I would deliver to you a simple review of an excellent book I've been delving in to lately, American Gods by Neil Gaiman. This book offers one of the most fascinating looks at American culture I've ever seen- which is extra bizarre considering Gaiman isn't even American- he's from the UK. Whatever the case- perhaps in spite of his outside perspective or perhaps because of it- he seems to understand the new American psyche thoroughly, perhaps even better than we do.
To explain my point further, American Gods is at its core a story about American identity. Its basic premise is as follows: Gods are real. In fact, just about every God ever thought of is real, because the power of belief has brought them to life; and when the massive variety of peoples came to America (some willingly, some not), they brought their Gods with them. However, because of the secularization of modern culture, the old Gods such as Odin, Anubis, etc. have begun to lose their power, many of them dying off completely. Meanwhile, because of this culture shift, new Gods have come into being- Media, Internet, Gods of travel and commerce and modern comforts. This story follows the war between the old and the new, with our mysterious protagonist Shadow being caught up in this alien world in the service of one of the Gods.
The best part about this book is just how well Neil Gaiman can capture a magical world and make it feel real. Gaiman seamlessly blends the realm of myth and the mundane realities of everyday American life. Gods, culture heroes and monsters are everywhere- they're taxi drivers, morticians, bartenders; they live in apartments and trailer parks and jump between hotels. After long sessions of reading I always felt like I could turn the corner and see a God sitting right there. Of course, I would never know because they appear in human form- regardless, any book that can add a twinge of magic to my everyday life is a huge winner in my book.
Our protagonist Shadow is a stoic one, a character who is more reactive than proactive. Despite his lack of typical literary "drive" that certain novel heroes might have, I found myself absolutely sucked in to Shadow's journey. He is equal parts relatable and totally unusual, a character who both seems to know nothing at all and yet understands this mystical world completely. The other characters are also constructed beautifully, as the Gods are equal parts totally huge characters and also nuanced and human. I would honestly read an entire novel about any one of them.
Much of the book takes place in small, quiet towns across America. Though some chapters involve big cities like New York or Chicago, I found that the most compelling action was focused on little America and the variety of cultures that make it up. It was refreshing to have a book so epic in scope deliberately not to keep its action around huge population centers and well-known monuments, and in the context of the story it makes total sense too.
All in all, American Gods was a phenomenal read and made me eager to check out Gaiman's other works. If you find yourself bored out of your mind during quarantine, perhaps this mythic tale of culture, Gods and middle America will be just the thing to occupy your mind.
