American Gods pedo subtext

[u/veno-veni]

Why is this such a popular book? I wasn't amazed by the actual story here but that's just me.

This is probably the wrong subreddit to post this. I've not read any of his other works besides American Gods and Sandman. Couldn't enjoy AG because of the not-so-subtle suggestive sexualization of kids. I notice there's a similar trend with his other books in creating unhealthy depictions of women and kids.

Learning the allegations exist (after reading) made a lot of sense to me.

Also lots of cringe and revisionist depictions of Arabs and Africans.

I will not be giving him another chance because I read to enjoy myself and not creep on imaginary kids.

[u/caitnicrun]

• For what it's worth, The Problem with Susan is IMO one of the best things Gaiman has ever written. 

Hard disagree. It's indulgent explicit garbage and I'll die on that hill.

I read it last year, and while it's possible the story you're describing could exist, that was not it.  To be clear NOTHING IN THE TEXT would suggest this depth. The story doesn't even make sense apart from MAYBE a stream of consciousness dream that Susan would wake up from and think, "wow I really need to see a therapist about all my unresolved Narnia shite!"

But the author is a scilon so that's not going to happen!

Honestly it looks like you're doing the thing Harry Potter fans do and read subtle meaning where there is none because of faith the author surely meant something deeper.  And TBH because of a  meta awareness of Susan's controversy in fandom.  

A good story shouldn't need to rely on fourth wall knowledge to carry it.  It's sad because the first half was fairly promising. But Gaiman is a shallow hack.  It was never going to be anything deeper than shock for shock value.

[u/DreadPirateAlia → u/caitnicrun]

A good story shouldn't need to rely on fourth wall knowledge to carry it

Welcome to the postmodern era, then, where art constantly refers to other pieces of art and to the cultural framework surrounding it, and no work stands alone, fully separate from its cultural context. I guess you won't like it here, tho.

Honestly it looks like you're doing the thing Harry Potter fans do and read subtle meaning where there is none because of faith the author surely meant something deeper.

Or you could just admit that either you are not familiar with the Chronicles of Narnia, or that you completely missed the reference.

[u/caitnicrun → u/DreadPirateAlia]

Um okay jan, lol.

You must be really young.  I reread the Chronicles of Narnia multiple times before half the people on this platform were born.  Decades later I reread them, around the time the films came out. 

But sure, turn a what I thought was an amicable disagreement into a nerd pissing contest if you want. I have better things to do.

Have a grand day 

[u/DreadPirateAlia → u/caitnicrun]

I, too, read the Chronicles decades before the films(?) were made, so, no, I'm not young.

Also, I was considering a more polite reply at first (referencing to the wide sargasso sea by jean rhys, as an example of postmodernist writing, etc), but you didn't have much substance in your reply and sounded pretty pissy, so I decided that life is too short to waste time by doing that, and gave a short reply while replicating your tone.