American Gods

Neil Gaiman, currently famous for having written the novel (now a film), Stardust, has just announced that his famous novel, American Gods, is now available free and online, here.9780060558123

Coincidentally, I finished reading the book last week (in original, bought and paid for, paperback form) and I enjoyed it immensely.  It is a magnificent, big, complex, multi-layered novel tackling some enormous themes, not least of which is the fate of the gods which immigrant Americans took with them to the new country.    It’s also a road story about small-town America.  More deeply, for those of a Jungian inclination, it’s a novel about life and rebirth.  That the main character’s name is Shadow should give you a clue.

Immediately after finishing the book, I started a book by Jungian analyst Robert Johnson called Living Your Unlived Life which brought back to mind his earlier work called Owning Your Own Shadow.  I now having a burning urge to re-read all 635 pages of American Gods  (the "Authored Preferred Text" version which I have) and it has gone onto that short list of books and cds which I give as birthday gifts to all my friends and relatives (you have been warned).

It’s a great book, well worth an exploration.

 

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