The Ocean at the End of the Lane

author: Neil Gaiman

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.36

book published: 2013

rating: 5

read at: 2013/07/03

date added: 2013/07/03

shelves:

review:

Neil Gaiman is a masterful and gifted storyteller weaving magical worlds with real ones with deft and artistic brushstrokes, and The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is no exception. In fact, it may be his finest work to date, compressing so much into a longer form novella.



The book is written as a semi-memoir, but most of the story points are woven from the air. The Hempstock family, who have been around the edges of some of his other works feature prominently here with their ancient farm and pond that may be an ocean.



The story is about a 7 year old boy, but this is hardly a child's tale. This is a story written for adults looking back on their childhoods, and about how powerless we actually are as children. So, while there are hints of Coraline and Bod in here, the youngster in the story is quite helpless when things spin beyond his control. It's also about finding adults who understand what you are going through and are willing to reach out to help.



There was much that I could relate to here. I was that child who preferred books and reading in a corner to most other activities, and whose life pursuits and passions were not the ones that his father wished him to have. So, while the book is about feeling isolated and trapped, it made me feel less alone for a while.



The story has the feel of a half-remembered dream, and if we are lucky, that is how we remember the worst days of our lives. Like a lovely summer dream and I loved it.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/650332615?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss