Neil Gaiman’s name also came up at work recently, but not in a good way. We’re no longer allowed to reference him in our publications. Having read about the accusations against him, I not only approve that decision, but I’m half-tempted to erase him from my personal life by throwing away all my Neil Gaiman books. A few other people that I’ve talked to have considered doing the same.
My hubby, on the other hand, argued that my opinions about the author shouldn’t matter. He said, “You shouldn’t look beyond the book.” I applaud his pithy wording. In theory, I agree with him and have said similar, less-pithy things myself.
But, these days, thanks to the Internet and social media, we learn more about authors than we ever could in the past, and we begin to think that we know them. It’s only a one-sided connection, those of us who are sane and non-stalkery agree, but that doesn’t change how we feel. If those people then do something truly awful (that is, outside of the normal range of human failings), we can’t help but take it personally. Rowling was a hero–a single mother who saved herself from poverty and brought forth one of the most wonderful children’s series ever written. Gaiman was also a hero–a staunch feminist, champion of books and literacy, the man who wrote The Graveyard Book, a remarkable tale with the power to break a reader’s heart and put it back together again.
The thing is, I haven’t been able to enjoy Harry Potter much since finding out how mean J.K. Rowling can be, and her meanness is a small thing compared to Gaiman’s alleged sins. I believe there is a chance that I could divorce my feelings about her from her books someday. I hope I’ll be able to manage that. Otherwise her books will have been wasting precious space on my shelves for years.
As for Gaiman, though I might be able to forget the details from the article, I doubt I’ll ever forget the absolute disgust and sense of betrayal that I felt while reading about them. But, for now, I’m also leaving his books on my shelf. Future Me will have to decide whether she can stomach rereading them. If she can’t, she’ll know what to do with them.