Anansi Boys

infobox Book |
name = Anansi Boys
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First edition cover
author = Neil Gaiman
illustrator =
cover_artist = Richard Aquan (1st printing hardcover edition); general design, Shubhani Sarkar; image collage credited to Getty Images
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Fantasy novel
publisher = HarperCollins; William Morris imprint
release_date = September 2005
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 336 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-06-051518-X
preceded_by = American Gods
followed_by =

"Anansi Boys" is a novel by Neil Gaiman. It is a companion to Gaiman's earlier novel "American Gods". In "Anansi Boys" we discover that 'Mr. Nancy' (Anansi) from "American Gods" has two sons, and the two sons in turn discover each other. The novel follows their adventures as they explore their common heritage.

"Anansi Boys" was published on September 20 2005 and was released in paperback on October 1, 2006. The book reached the number one spot on the "New York Times" bestseller list. [http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2005/09/theres-first-time-for-everything.asp] The audiobook was released in 2005 narrated by Lenny Henry.

Plot

"Anansi Boys" is the story of Charles "Fat Charlie" Nancy, a timid Londoner devoid of ambition, whose unenthusiastic wedding preparations are disrupted when he learns of his father's death in Florida. The flamboyant Mr. Nancy, in whose shadow Fat Charlie has always lived, died in a typically embarrassing manner by suffering a fatal heart attack while flirting with women in a karaoke bar.

Fat Charlie is forced to take time off from the accounting agency where he works and travel to Florida for the funeral. After the funeral, while discussing the disposal of Anansi's estate, Mrs. Callyanne Higgler, a very old family friend, reveals to Fat Charlie that the late Mr. Nancy was actually an incarnation of the West African spider god, Anansi, hence his name. The reason Charlie had apparently not inherited any divine powers was because they had been passed down to his hitherto unknown brother, whom she mentions can be contacted by simply asking a spider to invite him. Charlie is skeptical, and on his return to England, largely forgets what Mrs. Higgler had told him, until one night when he drunkenly whispers to a spider that it would be nice if his brother stopped by for a visit.

The next morning, the suave and well-dressed brother, going under the name of "Spider", visits Charlie. Spider is shocked to learn that their father had died. Immediately Spider steps through a picture to their childhood home. Charlie goes off to work, rather puzzled by Spider and his sudden disappearance.

Spider returns that night, stricken with grief that Anansi had died and that he had been thoughtless enough not to notice. The two, to drown their sorrows, get uproariously drunk (at Spider's recommendation) on the proverbial trio of wine, women, and song. Although Charlie is not involved in most of the womanizing or singing, he gets drunk enough to sleep through much of the next day. Spider covers for Charlie's absence from his office at the Grahame Coats Agency by magically disguising himself as Charlie. In the process, Spider discovers Grahame Coats's long-standing practice of embezzling from his clients. Spider also steals the affection and virginity of Charlie's fiancée, Rosie Noah.

Spider, in the guise of Charlie, reveals his knowledge of the financial improprieties to Grahame Coats during a meeting which Grahame calls in order to fire Charlie. As a result, Grahame delays firing Charlie. When Grahame seeks him next, Charlie receives a large cheque and a holiday from work. With Charlie out of the office, Grahame Coats proceeds to alter the financial records to frame Charlie for the embezzlement. Embittered by the loss of his fiancée, Charlie uses his vacation to return to Florida, and requests help from Callyanne Higgler and three of her equally old, eccentric friends to expel Spider. Being themselves powerless in this matter, they instead send him to "the beginning of the world", an abode of ancient animal-gods. There, he encounters the fearsome Tiger, the outrageous Hyena, and the ridiculous Monkey, among others. None are willing to trade anything with him, until he meets Bird Woman, who agrees to trade Charlie one of her feathers in exchange for "Anansi's bloodline for my own".

Meanwhile in London, a swindled client, Maeve Livingstone, confronts Grahame Coats directly, having learned of the embezzlement of her late husband's royalties. Grahame Coats agrees to make full restitution and more, suggesting that taking him to court could fail to achieve her purpose. While she is distracted by his offer, he kills her with a hammer and conceals her body in a hidden closet.

Charlie has returned to England, whereupon spontaneous events begin happening in quick succession: Charlie quarrels and scuffles with Spider; Charlie is taken in for questioning by the police for financial fraud at the Grahame Coats Agency; Spider reveals the truth to Rosie, who is angered by his treatment of her; birds repeatedly attack Spider; Grahame Coats leaves England for his estate and bank accounts in the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Andrews; and Maeve Livingstone's ghost begins haunting the Graham Coats Agency building.

Maeve Livingstone is contacted by her late husband, who advises her to move on to the afterlife. She refuses in favor of taking vengeance on Grahame Coats. Later, she meets the ghost of Anansi himself, who recounts a story to her. Once, Anansi reveals, the animal god Tiger owned all stories, and as a result, all stories were dark and violent; but Anansi tricked Tiger into surrendering the ownership of all stories to Anansi, so stories now involve cleverness and skill rather than strength alone.

After an attack by flamingoes, Spider realizes that something Charlie did was causing these attacks, and that he is in mortal peril. He takes Charlie out of prison. They discuss matters in the course of a round of world-traveling and fleeing from birds, revealing that giving Anansi's bloodline implicates Charlie as well as Spider. Charlie is then returned to prison. He is eventually freed, and then mentions the hidden room in Coats's office, where the police will find Maeve Livingstone's body.

Spider is swept away in a storm of birds, by which Bird Woman delivers Spider to Tiger, Anansi's longtime enemy. He is staked down and his tongue is torn out to neutralize his story-telling power. Spider manages to form a little spider out of clay, instructing it to go find help in the spider kingdom that Anansi and his descendants command. Though not as effective a hunter as Tiger, Spider can still fend him off for a little while, whereas Tiger is pleased to draw out the hunt, as it allows him to savor his long hoped-for revenge on Anansi and his brood.

Rosie and her mother have taken a cruise to the Caribbean, where against all odds they run into Grahame Coats. They have not heard of the events in England, and so unsuspectingly walk into his trap and are locked in his basement.

Charlie has been searching for Callyanne Higgler in the Caribbean island, so that she might help him answer his problems. He finally finds her after a long search and is sent back to the beginning of the world. Charlie forces the Bird Woman to give back Anansi's bloodline in return for her feather. Meanwhile, Spider has managed to survive, Tiger having grown overconfident. When Tiger attempts a killing strike, the reinforcements summoned by Spider overwhelm him. At that point, Charlie rescues Spider and gives him back his tongue.

Tiger possesses Grahame Coats and uses his bloodlust to manipulate him, intending to get revenge on Spider by killing Rosie and her mother. The possession by Tiger makes Grahame Coats vulnerable to another vengeful ghost: Maeve Livingstone had been waiting for this moment, having found Grahame Coats with the aid of the ghost form of Anansi. Livingstone eliminates Coats in the real world and, satisfied, moves on to her afterlife.

At the beginning of the world, Charlie, having discovered his power to alter reality by singing a story, recounts the long tale of all that has gone before, humiliating Tiger to the point of retreat. Spider then closes the cave entrance, sealing Tiger and Grahame Coats into the cave; Charlie weaves this event into his song, reinforcing it with his powers, such that Tiger is now well and truly trapped. Coats, now known as Stoat, remains with Tiger as company.

In the end, Spider marries Rosie and becomes the owner of a restaurant. He is put constantly under pressure by Rosie's mother to have children, but never does. Charlie begins a successful career as a singer, marries police officer Daisy Day, and has a son.

Award and nominations

It won the Mythopoeic Awards for Best Novel 2006, the 2006 YALSA ALEX Award [ [http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alex06.htm ALA | 2006 Alex Awards ] ] and the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Award 2006. [http://www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk/info/bfsawards.htm] Despite garnering enough votes for a Hugo nomination, Gaiman declined it. [http://cluebytwelve.net/Hugos2006/nominees.txt] [ [http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2006/08/hugo-words.html Neil Gaiman - Neil Gaiman's Journal: Hugo words ] ]

BBC World Service Radio Adaptation

Mike Walker adapted "Anansi Boys" into a radio play for the BBC World Service. It stars Lenny Henry as Spider and Fat Charlie, Matt Lucas as Graham Coats and Tiger, Rudolph Walker (best known as Patrick Trueman on British soap opera "Eastenders") as Anansi, Dona Croll as Mrs Noah and the Bird Woman, Tameka Empson as Mrs Higgler, Petra Letang as Rosie, Jocelyn Jee Esien as Daisy, and Ben Crowe as Cabbies and other voices. It was broadcast on the 17th of November 2007. The original sound track was composed by Danish composer in residence Nicolai Abrahamsen. It was directed by Anne Edyvean (who also worked on the radio 3 adaptation of "Signal to Noise" in 1996). [ [http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal] ]

Movie Adaptation

It was rumored that there was going to be a movie adaptation of Anansi Boys (from the radio play) for film, however the US casting agencies wanted to use white people in the roles of Fat Charlie, Spider, Anansi etc... instead of black people, and Gaiman would have none of that.cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20070731/d_cover31.art.htm |title=Storyteller Gaiman wishes upon a star |author= Anthony Breznican|authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archiveurl= http://www.webcitation.org/5aAa435Vk|archivedate= 2008-08-18|quote= |accessdate=2008-08-18]

Translations

*"Anansiho chlapci" (Czech), ISBN 80-7332-079-7
*"I ragazzi di Anansi" (Italian), ISBN 88-04-55701-X
*"בני אנאנסי" (Hebrew)
*"Os Filhos de Anansi" (Portuguese), ISBN 972-23-3592-8
*"Дети Ананси" (Russian), ISBN 5-17-037493-3
*"Chłopaki Anansiego" (Polish), ISBN 83-7480-020-8
*"Băieţii lui Anansi" (Romanian), ISBN 973-733-103-6
*"De bende van Anansi" (Dutch), ISBN 902-455-385-7
*"Los hijos de Anansi" (Spanish), ISBN 978-84-96544-66-6

Notes

External links

* [http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Anansi+Boys/in/179/ Excerpt]
* [http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/215.html Review of Anansi Boys] at [http://www.sffworld.com SFFWorld.com]
* [http://www.threemonkeysonline.com/threemon_article_neil_gaiman_anansi_boys_interview.htm Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys interview - Three Monkeys Online Magazine]
* [http://starlightfading.net/book_reviews/fantasy/anansi_boys_by_neil_gaiman.html Review of "Anansi Boys" at StarlightFading.net]