(Image: A Gift from Old Bailey, Carl V., 2011)

It is with a touch of sadness–that satisfying yet melancholy feeling–that we say goodbye to Richard Mayhew and to Lady Door, to the Marquis de Carabas and to Old Bailey, to the two delightful villains Croup and Vandemar and to the world of London Below. It always pains me a bit to say farewell, after all these are friends of more than a decade who I have visited time and time again. The great pleasure of the written word is that you can actually return and visit your friends. With the passage of time you have changed, and so have they, and the discovery that despite those changes those friends continue to matter is one of the treasures of reading.

It was a great privilege to be able to go on this journey with Richard and Door with all of you. Some of you were returning for a repeat visit, such as I was, and others were taking this journey for the first time. Some of you were touched by the magic of Neverwhere, and others weren’t. This too is one of the treasures of reading–no two people experience the story in the same way.

I had decided that in lieu of specific questions this week, we would culminate this group read with each individual taking their own direction with what they wanted to share. I did suggest that I would be most curious to know how readers thoughts and feelings about particular characters were affected by the events in this final section of the book. Beyond that, let’s just chat about Neverwhere.

Oh, Neverwhere, how do I love thee? Let me [share] the ways:

Old Bailey:

I find it immensely satisfying that an old, strange little non-threatening character would have such an important part to play in the story. I grow fonder of Old Bailey as I get older, and that is saying something considering how much I liked him from the very start. Despite his early protestations, you get the sense of deep understanding and friendship between Old Bailey and the Marquis de Carabas. These men have broken bread before (or starlings). They’ve had adventures that we are not privy to, which lie just under the surface and inform their interactions with one another. There is a mutual respect and the kind of frustration with one another (or at least Old Bailey’s with the Marquis) that only comes from a long and lasting friendship.

The Lady Door:

Door enters the picture as the quintessential ‘damsel in distress’ and then almost immediately shatters that image. She upsets Richard’s world, she takes charge of things and she orders people around. On the flip side of that coin, she is wise enough to know she needs help, is smart enough to surround herself with people she believes can help her, and is brave enough to confront things head on vs. hiding, something that someone with her talents could most certainly do, at least for a little while. I love Door, a love that grew stronger after seeing Laura Fraser portray her in the BBC television series. She is one of my favorite characters in literature, not because she is particularly deep or that her story is life-altering. She is an interesting twist on the typical fairy tale character and I like that about her. She is dirty, disheveled, looks more like a street urchin than a princess, and probably smells like the surroundings in which she dwells. But never mind that, she has earned my undying devotion.

Richard:

He frustrates me so much that I end up adoring the guy. I spoke in previous posts about my visceral reaction to how long it takes for Richard to suck it up and start taking an active part in things. Truth be told it is one of the things that endears Neverwhere to me. Richard is real, much more real than the typical protagonist on a hero’s journey. He wants to be stuck in a life that is no good for him. Once he is extricated from it, he wants it back. He wants it back badly. So much so that even after he has made some growth, he still chooses to return to it (albeit briefly). He drives me crazy. He is me. I identify with him in so many ways. That isn’t to say I’m stuck in a life like Richard was. Far from it. I’ve been blessed in my marriage partner, my career, my friends and so many other things. I’ve had some wonderful adventures in my life. And yet there are many things I’ve wanted to do, things I claim to be passionate about, that I have not had the courage to try. Adventures there for the taking that I turn my back on. Or journeys I begin only to turn back when I get distracted, or frustrated, or the road gets to looking rough. When I see Richard mirror my own foibles it is uncomfortable, and yet I continue to draw inspiration from his growth and with each successive read of the book I want to push him to do more, to go further quicker, to more fully embrace the wonder of the world he’s fallen into. Richard’s is a hero’s journey which is somewhat out of the ordinary compared to what I normally read and it just so happens to be one that feels incredibly authentic despite its fantasy trappings.

Croup and Vandemar:

I am so glad to see others felt similar to the way that I did when I first read of their demise. Every subsequent reading brings on those same feelings. Have you seen the movie Labyrinth? It is a huge favorite of mine for a number of reasons, not the least of which is Jareth’s ending speech in which he practically begs Sarah to let him live, to let his story continue to be a part of her life. Croup and Vandemar are vicious, disgusting, evil villains and yet I lament their parting each and every time. I am only consoled by the fact that they are most likely somewhere. We don’t know where, but I like to believe that their story goes on. They are the one of the oddest, odd couples I’ve ever seen in fiction and I applaud Gaiman for creating such memorable bad guys, and on top of that ones that you inexplicably care about and enjoy.

Those are but a few of many reasons, but I’ll save further comment to share here and on other posts. I will close my comments with stating that in my imagination Richard and Door do continue on their adventures and develop a relationship. I’m a sap, I know, but it has to happen in my imagination. I’ve always wanted the guy to get his girl, and the girl to get her guy. What can I say?
As I close I’ll echo my opening sentiments: You have all been so great to read this book with. Regardless of your feelings during and after the read, your conversation has been a huge thrill for me. I love this book and love talking about it, and I love that you all have made me see things that I hadn’t seen before, have helped me to expand on my thoughts about Richard in particular, and have interacted so much on each others sites. Thank you all so very, very much.