When friends visited recently, and discussion turned to books we were each reading, they recommended I read Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, partly due to the fact that much of the book takes place in Wisconsin. A whole chapter devoted to a darkly mystical trip to The House on the Rock, then on to the little town of Lakeside which is very ‘up North’, and other references to locales like Madison, Chicago and Cairo Illinois, and even the pinnacle of American tourist kitsch, Rock City & Ruby Falls.
The geographer in me was hooked! Problem was I could never snag a copy from the library as it was perpetually ‘checked out’. I decided to read Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, co-authored by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and found it delightfully intriguing as any saga about averting Armageddon can possibly be. Then, on to reading Stardust, Mr. Gaiman’s tiny tale where fairies make mischief in their own little Brigadoon. Another ‘yea read’ as far as I am concerned.
Finally got my hands on a library copy of American Gods and sadly, can’t understand what the fuss was about! It plods along at many moments when it should come to life. There are well-crafted descriptions of places and the moods those places inspire, but it left me underwhelmed. The identities and personalities of the gods themselves were muddled as if Mr. Gaiman planned to unveil them in slow motion. The trouble is he never gets around to defining them as characters I cared about. As for the classic American locations, they seemed like gimmicks.
So I won’t waste your time further describing a book I’m surprised I don’t recommend. We’ve all been there. Investing time into a book that keeps you saying, “It will get going. Just another chapter or two.” Sometimes a brick is just a brick. Maybe the TV versions do it justice, which would be a switch to the usual, “The book was so much better than the movie.”
