Friday, May 18, 2012

First Page Analysis: The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman


In case you can't quite read that, it says:
There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

Probably one of the better opening lines I've ever read, especially for a wacky, spooky, moving MG novel. I suppose you might expect nothing less from a master like Neil Gaiman, and I probably wouldn't blame you, but because of something I heard him say at WFC last fall, I wanted to focus on this book for a moment today.

Neil Gaiman and Connie Willis did a panel together, in which they basically just had a conversation about writing, and life, and books, and writing. The entire thing was absolutely fascinating, but one thing Neil said really stuck with me. He said (I'm paraphrasing here): "The Graveyward Book was the only book I ever wrote that actually ended up a better story on the pages than it had been in my head."

As writers, I think we all know what he means by that. At the time, I'd read this book a few years before, and I'd enjoyed it, but I hadn't been a serious writer at the time, so I decided to revisit it. The whole thing is truly a joy, but I want to focus on the first page (or the first 200 words or so, since there are illustrations).

There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.

The knife had a handle of polished black bone, and a blade finer and sharper than any razor. If it sliced you, you might not even know you had been cut, not immediately.

The knife had done almost everything it was brought to that house to do, and both the blade and the handle were wet.

The street door was still open, just a little, where the knife and the man who held it had slipped in, and wisps of nighttime mist slithered and twined into the house through the open door.

The man Jack paused on the landing. With his left hand he pulled a large white handkerchief from the pocket of his black coat, and with it he wiped off the knife and his gloved right hand which had been holding it; then he put the handkerchief away. The hunt was almost over. He had left the woman in her bed, the man on the bedroom floor, the older child in her brightly colored bedroom, surrounded by toys and half-finished models. That only left the little one, a baby barely a toddler, to take care of. One more and his task would be done. 

So, how bout that first line, eh? "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." Ominous, isn't it? It's an interesting first line too. It doesn't give us that much information, but it certainly sets the tone for this spooky novel.

And the second paragraph? Wow, that's quite a knife. This line tells us that perhaps something deeper is going on here. To me, it hints at the supernatural, which we soon discover is par for the course in this novel, but it also showcases Mister Gaiman's extreme talent for saying so much in so few words.

Then, in the third paragraph, things get dark, fast. And yet, this is a middle grade novel, so the darkness is subtle, and oh so clever. For adult readers, we can probably immediately infer that murder has been done, but for younger readers, it might not be so obvious until they come back to it.

From there, we meet the man Jack, a most interesting kind of killer, and things just get stranger and stranger ...

... has anyone read The Graveyard Book? What did you think of the opening? I don't know if it's quite A Tale of Two Cities, but I would still argue that this is one of the better first pages in modern literature. What do you all think?

I could go on for much longer analyzing this page, but I thought it would be more interesting to open a discussion.

41 comments:

  1. I haven't read this one but now that I've read the opening - wow! Definitely dark and intriguing

    ReplyDelete
  2. I haven't read the book. Someone lent it to me, but didn't want it back. I tried to get my 12 yo to read it, but he wasn't interested. Maybe I'll have to read it after all.

    Great post, Matt.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved this book. It totally changed me as a writer. Not that I write anything like Neil, (I wish!) but his way of doing things the way he wanted in this book, regardless of "the rules", really affected me.

    Shelley

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't read the novel but the first page, having that illustration too, is very well done. The first line does it's job of hooking the reader. The rest performs perfectly to ensure the reader simply has to go on. By the end of reading the sample placed here, I was thoroughly intrigued.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should check it out, Angela! I'm sure you'd love it.

      Delete
  5. I adore this book. The opening is amazing and the story just doesn't relent from being brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I totally agree. It's hard to believe it could keep getting better and better, but it does.

      Delete
  6. Never read it, but it is an engaging opener. I think too many writers would jump in with the dead bodies, and I like that he takes his time and sets it up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! That's part of the appeal. He's goes about telling the story in a way most others wouldn't.

      Delete
  7. Realy like the first page, enough so to check the book out. Besides the cover of the book, I realy feel the first 5 pages are critical to pull the reader in.
    Cheers

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, it's interesting Kris, personally, I don't like the cover of the edition of this book that I own that much. But otherwise, I do completely agree. Both aspects are so important for grabbing readers.

      Delete
  8. Oh, I loved this book so much. Everything about it, but most of all, Gaiman's voice. A master storyteller.

    Interesting, though. I read the book with a group of 8th grade students and the opening totally didn't connect with them. Surprised the heck out of me. Even more interesting, the hook was set mid-book, and then they really wanted to keep going. They loved it in the end.

    Great post, Matt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fascinating! And you know, Mike, it's funny, but as I was writing this, I was actually thinking to myself, I wonder how well this opening actually connects with young readers? I mean, for me, as an adult who is also a writer, it's perfection, but I was kind of thinking it wouldn't seem so amazing if I was young.

      Food for thought.

      Delete
  9. As I was reading, I was thinking it was way too dark for an MG novel, but that's just me, assuming a family is about to be sliced to bits. Dark & scary! Makes me think hard about what my first line will be once I start writing. Food for thought.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The family is actually already dead (gasp) but it gets much funnier, and more fun, pretty quickly. That being said, the darkness never fully leaves. I think kids can go in for that kind of thing, assuming it doesn't get too scary or gruesome.

      Delete
  10. Ooo, yes, I absolutely agree, Matthew. This is one of my favorite first lines in children's literature. It's chilling and spooky and completely unexpected. So of course you just have to read on and find out more! I've recommended The Graveyard Book to dozens of people and everyone loves it. It's a terrific book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agreed! The unexpectedness is one of the biggest strengths.

      Delete
  11. thanks so much for bringing attention to this lesser known NG book, Matthew. This is a fantastic book. Totally unique. I read an introduction by NG in which he talked about what it means to be a good parent, raising strong independent children. It means eventually your children won't need you anymore.This is part of the story, in its strange ghostly way. He shows it in such a poetically moving moment it still brings tears to my eyes. He said it took 25 years to write it. The book is great. AND, if anyone likes listening, there is an audio version that Neil Gaiman reads himself. AMAZING

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not know all of that, but I do oh so love this book. I will definitely have to check out the audio, because Neil has a wonderful voice!

      Delete
  12. I LOVED this book. I sat down, started reading it and finished it in a day. The whole Jungle Book in a graveyard thing was so, so cool! And I agree, amazing opening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I NEVER read books in a single day, because my life is too busy, but I did read this one in like 3.

      Delete
  13. Another Graveyard Book and Neil Gaiman fan here! He is such an incredibly creative and gifted writer. I can't wait to check out the audio version. Thanks, Eden!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Haven't read it, but will now! that gave me the heebie jeebies right up front. (The good kind) First sentences, first pages, and first chapters are definitely the crucial set up points. Then you pray the rest of the book is as good as the lead in :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. That's my favorite Gaiman book. Well, except, maybe, for Good Omens, but he didn't write that one all by himself. At any rate, I love The Graveyard Book. Just... all of it. Gaiman has been the biggest influence on my Tib stuff that I'm working on, right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My VERY Favorite is probably Neverwhere, but this one is very close.

      Delete
    2. I think Neverwhere is the only one I haven't read, but I did see the BBC show.

      Delete
    3. WHAT!? How have I not heard of this?

      Delete
  16. Oh, oops! I forgot! No one was supposed to tell you! Darn! Now I have to send Jack for you, because you know!

    Yeah, the BBC turned Neverwhere into a series. I think you can stream it on Netflix. Or, at least, rent it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sleer has taken care of the man Jack.

      Delete
    2. Well... that's what they want you to think. :P

      You did see MirrorMask, right?

      Delete
  17. I bought this for my teen, read those very same first paras and, although I was rocked by the writing, couldn't read further. My Squeamish-O-Meter is set at a very high setting. If you can assure me that baby doesn't get carved up too, I'll give it a second chance. (And if this constitutes a spoiler, e-mail me rather than do a blog comment reveal.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the baby is the protagonist, who clearly escapes alive. It's not a spoiler, because it happens in the first 10 pages, maybe less.

      Delete
  18. I think the writing coupled with the illustration is pretty brilliant. I'm not sure if it would be as dramatic to have the knife leading the way without the black and white image.

    The neurotic mom in me thinks the gruesome factor is too high for my taste, but it has a Roald Dahl-ishness that's appealing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does hint at a lot of gruesome darkness in the beginning, but the book is actually fun, light-hearted, and quite funny at times. It's a bit like a MG Beetlejuice.

      Delete
  19. That opening does rock. And so does Neil. I read the Graveyard Book recently and enjoyed it. I remember in the beginning feeling the eeriness, the peril and the concern for the babe. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm going to be the black sheep here...

    My 2nd grade son had heard from his friends that this was a great book and I'd heard of Gaiman before (hadn't read any of his work yet though), so when he saw it at the library, I borrowed it for him. He read the book and said it was okay, but he didn't really like it...said it was too weird for him. I was surprised. I'd heard so many great/amazing things about Gaiman. I decided to read it, too, and talk to my son about what he did/didn't like about it.

    I must agree, the first few pages are very intriguing. They hooked me (a mostly YA and fantasy lover) and drew me in to the story. In my opinion, it seemed a bit dark at the beginning for its target audience, but I was okay with that...after all, my kids play Halo. But then, somewhere near the middle, I lost interest in the story. This book is actually one of the rare few that I started and have never finished. I just couldn't find it in me to connect and care about Nobody.

    I've read/watched/listened to other things created by Gaiman since my attempt at The Graveyard Book and have enjoyed them, so maybe one day I'll go back and try again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well that certainly seems odd to me, but I think it just proves how subjective it all is. Not everything is for everyone. Thanks for your honesty, Samantha.

      Delete
  21. I'm sorry, but once I read, "I would still argue that this is one of the better first pages in modern literature," the hater in me sprung out. My first gut reaction was to compare it to my all-time favorite book, The God of Small Things by Roy Arundhati. For me, the title of "better first pages in modern literature" including the title of "ONE of the best books of modern literature" belongs to that novel.

    This is very unfortunate because my mind began to nitpick things I didn't like about those first 200 words. I'm sorry for being a party pooper. I'm so emotionally affected by language that it can actually ruin things for me.

    Of course, it took me 10 minutes after reading the post to realize that you mentioned this was a middle grade book. Obviously, The Graveyard Book is not comparable to something written for adults. I'm not saying MG and YA books will never compare to the more "adult genre," but that they will obviously be written so differently that comparisons are impossible.

    In that case, then yes that opening is fantastic! After reading your reply to Samantha Jean, it becomes funny - in that funny way you recall a distantly embarrassing memory - when your own self-contemplation reveals to you how subjective your reactions are.

    By the way, I would love for you to analyze/review the MG novel, Green Angel by Alice Hoffman. I read it in 5th grade but haven't since. It's a beautiful, post-apocalyptic novel, though you won't know it for quite some time.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for adding to the mayhem!