Novel Sndtrck: Anansi Boys

Play it: Novel Sndtrck Anansi Boys

God is dead... meet the kids! In Gaimen's Anansi Boys, Anansi is in reference to the trickster god, who has many tales through African folklore. He's also known as the spider, and when the slave trade brought the West African folklore to the American South, many of his stories found their way into the tales of Uncle Remus involving trickster Brer Rabbit.

Anansi Boys kind of picks up where Neil Gaiman's American Gods left off, as Anansi (Mr. Nancy) was a supporting character in that novel. Of course, when this story begins, he's just died, so we're dealing with his offspring, his son Fat Charlie Nancy. Gaiman intersweaves the rich folklore into a contemporary crime story, and there's a lot of singing as well - for entertainment (karaoke) and as a tool for magic. The song load is heavy on the traditional karaoke fare - you'll notice the first song (sung karaoke by Anansi himself,) is "What's New Pussycat," which if you'll remember, kicked off my swan song tribute to our beloved Leilani Lanes (and their karaoke bar.)

The artist that makes the most appearance in this little soundtrack is The Mills Brothers, and if they ever shot the movie (highly doubtful,) it's the brothers' (John, Herbert, Harry and Donald) smooth depression through WWII era vocals would create the perfect backdrop for such a task. "Yellow Bird" would be the theme song, along with "Tiger Rag."

If you liked American Gods, or are a fan of Gaiman's rich work (The Sandman [comic book,] Mirror Mask [movie,] and Good Omens) then this book is certainly a must-read.

Previously:
Novel Sndtrck: Lunar Park
Novel Sndtrck: The Hot Kid
Novel Sndtrck: Glass Soup
Novel Sndtrck: White Apples
Novel Sndtrck: Kafka On The Shore (Ribaldry and Schmaltz's J Shifty)
Novel Sndtrck: Killing Yourself To Live (Drive Like Hell's Dallas Hudgens)
Novel Sndtrck: Drive Like Hell
Novel Sndtrck: Fortress of Solitude
James Frey's My Friend Leonard
Jonathon Lethem's The Disappointment Artist

tags: playlist, rhapsody, books, neil gaiman, mills brothers, anansi, african folklore