Neverwhere Book Review
Neil Gaiman takes us on a fantastical journey with Richard Mayhew, and in this book review of Neverwhere, we discuss its overarching metaphor and what lessons his character encounters.
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Summary
Richard Mayhew lives a boring life with a woman who bosses him around in London. His world is literally turned upside down when he pursues a random act of kindness; he rescues a young woman named Door. She's injured and limp in the streets of London Above. Richard picks her up, cleans her wound, and searches for help. He learns some people are looking for her, but his intuition tells him not to trust them, so he hides her.
It’s not until the woman is safe that he unknowingly leaves his dimension and enters London Below. The place is grungy: littered with prostitutes, vampires, and talking rats. He wonders if he’s died. Desperate to return to his old life, Richard learns the value of living, friendships, and choice.
“I mean, maybe I am crazy. I mean, maybe. But if this is all there is, then I don't want to be sane.”
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
Book Review
This book was great! It was immersive and weaved in its themes flawlessly. Neil Gaiman can be hit or miss for me, but he nailed this one. I love his way of merging reality with fantasy. The characters were intriguing, as was London Below.
The only flaw in this book was the last hour. After the story concluded, there was a shorter story about The Marquis de Carabas’s jacket that I did not care for.
Otherwise, I LOVED how this story ended. I won’t spoil anything. Let’s just say that Richard’s character arc was thoroughly fulfilling. Personally, my favorite aspect of storytelling is not about the world (which can be awesome)— it’s not the plot— it’s the characters. A protagonist's journey is the reason most people read—we want to relate and grow. They help us feel strong, brave, loyal, and honest in our own lives.
When we landed in London Below, we descended through the sewer tunnels, as if falling into Wonderland. Except these creatures were not so colorful: there were evil angels, vampires, and talking rats. The exposition never dragged on.
Metaphor
The overarching metaphor of Neverwhere was homelessness; Neil Gaiman expressed this in an interview once, and while reading, I noticed its class structure weaved through this story. For example, when Richard was back in London Above after meeting Door, no one paid attention to him as a person. The civilians avoided him. They ignored his existence because of his haggard appearance and assumed desperation for financial aid. You witnessed Richard’s character stripped of everything from his old life and transformed into someone who appeared homeless. But it wasn't until he lost everything that he realized what he needed.
“waiting was a sin against both the time that was still to come and the moments one was currently disregarding.”
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
Over the years, I have read a husk of Neil Gaiman’s work - my first encounter with him was Coraline as an eight-year-old. It's a good place to start for children (although most of his work is not suited for them.) For adults, I recommend starting with Neverwhere as an introduction to his taste and style. Some of his other work is quite abstract, like The Ocean at the End of the Lane, a bit mundane, like The Graveyard Book, and plain satanic, aka The Sandman (which I do NOT recommend - DNF’d this one).
