Spider shows up at Charlie's door and almost immediately begins using his magic to disrupt Charlie's life.
Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys is a series of misadventures that takes the reader through alternate realities, ghosts, animal gods and demi-gods, voodoo, and a Caribbean kidnapping. The story draws a contrast between the timid, hyper-average Charlie and his father and brother, who spent their lives focused on wine, women, and song. But it also takes us through transformations as each brother is influenced by the other.
Like the spider-god Anansi, this story weaves a web that traps the characters and the reader in a funny, intriguing quest.
It is great fun in the way that Neil Gaiman has perfected. An excellent story, even by the standards set by Neil!