I first read Neverwhere about two years ago, and very much enjoyed it at the time. I recently re-read it late last year, and listened to the radio play adaptation last summer, so I thought it was about time I got around to reviewing it already. This was the first book I read by Neil Gaiman other than his collaborative book Good Omens, which was co-written with Terry Pratchett (previously reviewed here). Therefore I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and went into this book slightly nervously at first, with only the very bizarre synopsis on the back giving me any indication of what to look forward to inside. I have to say though, i'm extremely glad I carried on. Spoilers for character names and plot points ahead:
Neverwhere began life as a BBC television show, when Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry devised a six episode series airing in Autumn of 1996 (which I must point out here, I am yet to see in full). After the show ended, Neil Gaiman decided he was unhappy with the number of changes and cuts that had been necessary in order to translate the story well to TV, and so the novel was written as a way of expanding an already vast collection of characters and world building.
The story follows Richard Mayhew, a business man in London with a boring job and an over-bearing fiancee. His life is turned upside down when, after helping a strange young girl called Door who literally falls into his life bloodied and bruised, Richard finds that his very existence has been erased and he is no longer a part of 'London Above'. Instead, he must join the very odd cast of characters who inhabit 'London Below', a fascinating underground world inhabited by talking rats, powerful and respected hunters, murderous henchmen and a terrifyingly beautiful angel. It is these characters who ground Neverwhere and stop it from veering too far into completely unrelateable fantasy. They are, for the most part, very well developed and fleshed out. And yet, as we read, we given only the bare minimum of details about some, and are left desperate to know more, knowing all the while that we never will because it simply isn't relevant to the story. We know as much as Richard Mayhew does about the back story of the mysterious and intimidating Hunter, and the motives of the cunning yet well-meaning Marquis de Carabas. In this way, the reader is plunged into London Below completely unprepared and ready to learn as they go along, leading to a very immersive and compelling reading experience.
The story itself is very well paced, with enough action and twists to keep readers guessing until the very end. It is particularly interesting to see Richard adapting to each event as it happens - the loss of the young girl Anaesthaesia devastates him near the beginning of the novel, and yet by the end he is an active fighter and participant in the violence of the labyrinth. He is not simply a passive observer of London Below, but is forced to adapt and change his views, actions and overall outlook in order to stay alive on his journey. Personally, although Richard is the character whom the story is primarily following, I did not feel as if the story was his. It is the Lady Door who is on a quest to discover the truth about her families brutal murder, and I was fascinated by her story throughout. She is not necessarily a typical female hero, freely admitting to needing protection and duly hiring bodyguards to do so. However she is strong, and clearly feels no need to prove herself, beginning the novel with an already established level of respect from those around her due to her title, family name and unique talents. Another character I especially enjoyed was Hunter, who is a perfect portrait of moral ambiguity from beginning to end. She is brutal, powerful, mysterious and ultimately, weakened by obsession and manic pursuit of the beast below London. Despite her choices, I cannot be convinced she was a bad character overall, simply one whose motives were entirely different to those around her and could not relate to life as they experienced it.
One of my favourite parts of the book is Richard's trial with the Black Friars. The seeds of doubt that are planted in his mind are almost enough to infect the reader too, making us question the truth of nearly everything that has been said and done in the book so far. This is a risky choice, however the payoff is so much more satisfying - when Richard triumphantly confirms his own existence in London Below and his own sanity, the reader is carried along too, celebrating with him as he realises his ordeal has changed him for the better. The only real complaint I would have about this book is the heavy-handedness of the metaphor. The concept of London Below acts as a way of describing the convenience of ignoring those people who 'fall through the cracks' of everyday life, due to homelessness, mental illness, alcoholism, etc. This is an interesting comparison, but it does feel rather forced at times and the symbolism is not subtle. I also felt that quite a lot of issues were left unsolved, almost as if setting up for a sequel which has not so much been hinted at otherwise. This is a personal choice however, as although I like my stories to feel finished, I do appreciate that as a stylistic choice, allowing a story to remain open-ended can be a very effective writing tool for a number of different reasons.
The radio adaptation of this story is well worth a listen too. James McAvoy and Natalie Dormer are excellent as Richard and Lady Door, as well as a star-studded supporting cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Anthony Head, Bernard Cribbins, Sophie Okenedo and even Neil Gaiman himself (briefly!). The sound effects and brilliant voice acting add a whole new dimension to what is already a highly enjoyable story.
Overall, Neverwhere is a fantastical exploration of what it means to be an outcast, telling a very unbelievable story in a way which makes us readily accept it as the truth. Gaiman is an excellent storyteller whose experience in writing for television really shines through in his grasp of pacing and balancing exciting action with quiet tenderness, and his writing style leaves little to be desired. If you are happy to put up with some slightly overt metaphors and a rather long suspension of disbelief, you will enjoy this story greatly in whatever format you enjoy it in, and it provides a very good introduction to Neil Gaiman's work.
I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5
- Natalie XOX
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