American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

I'm fascinated and impressed by authors who write broadly.  In my library we have Neil Gaiman titles in our picturebooks, early chapter books, children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction, and graphic novel collections.  I've worked my way through most of it, but have neglected some of his better known grown-up novels along the way.  

Last week I read American Gods, which has the calm, slow, winding kind of narrative that Gaiman readers may be accustomed to.  When Shadow is released from prison, he is recruited to work for a man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday.  Shadow fumbles along and discovers that Wednesday and his acquaintances are supernatural beings.  He can accept this, but it takes the whole novel for him to unravel what is happening behind the scenes, what his part is, and what he wants it to be.  Themes explored include identity, sacrifice, home, what it means to live and to die, and what it means to choose between the two.  

It's a pleasant read, but I'm far fonder of The Sandman and The Graveyard Book among Gaiman's works.