Bod, short for Nobody, is a boy growing up in a graveyard. He wandered there the night his parents and sister were murdered. Adopted by ghosts, he thrives. 
 Thrives is an exaggeration. He seems lonely. He has a guardian, Silas, who assists by procuring food for him, but Silas is not exactly human. 
 Bod is odd. However, growing up in a graveyard makes him fearless and level-headed when he is on the cusp of adulthood. This comes in very handy when... the going gets tough. It is also a bit heart-breaking. 
 The murder of Bod's family opens the book and does not appear to be random. Its purpose remains a secret as chapters detail various episodes in Bod's boyhood. He explores the graveyard but is not encouraged to venture out, though eventually he does. I enjoyed Gaiman's writing and Bod's adventures held my attention, but the adventures began to gnaw at me, because nothing seemed to hold them together. 
 The ending gives parts of them some purpose and the ending is satisfying in and of itself. Somehow though, it did not completely eliminate my dissatisfaction with the episodic middle. 
 Are there two kinds of Neil Gaiman fans, Coraline types and The Graveyard Book types? (Unlike me, my son preferred The Graveyard Book.)