The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

by Neil Gaiman

WINNER OF THE SPECSAVERS NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS 2013 BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the bestselling magical novel from Neil Gaiman, one of the most brilliant storytellers of our generation and author of the epic novel American Gods, and the much-loved Sandman series. 'Possibly Gaiman's most lyrical, scary and beautiful work yet. It's a tale of childhood for grown-ups, a fantasy rooted in the darkest corners of reality' (Independent on Sunday). If you loved the mesmerising world of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus or were drawn into J.K. Rowling's magical universe, this book is for you.

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond this world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.

His only defence is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac - as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly's wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark.

Reviewed by kentholloway on

5 of 5 stars

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Simply magical. I've loved many of Gaiman's books. Up until now, it was a toss up between NEVERWHERE, THE ANANSI BOYS, or THE GRAVEYARD BOOK for the top favorite. But I might just have to say that The Ocean at the End of The Lane has solidified itself on my top tier for Gaiman.

Why? It's perhaps as difficult to explain as the nature of the Hempstock women themselves. There was just something very profound...something that tapped deep into the heart of my inner seven year old boy. It was, as Gaiman said, just as children are different from adults: adults always follow an established path, whereas children explore and seek out hidden ways to things unknown. That's precisely the way this book made me feel. I was branching away from the safe, properly constructed roads of modern fiction, and moving in and out of mulberry bushes and shadows and upgrown vegetation to discover a world--within our very own--that is magical and full of wonder.

I loved the main character. I felt so much for that poor boy. That good boy, who only wanted to be happy, but never seemed to get what he wanted until his nose was in a book or if he was holding the hand of the 11-year-old Hempstock girl/woman/entity/ancient one. I was saddened by the fact that he had forgotten and had forgotten once again (if you've read it, you'll know what I mean). But also happy that he had forgotten for the trials he'd endured by the dark creatures.

I loved the mystery of the Hempstock women. Of where all the men had gone? Of the untold Hempstock men's adventures. Of the very nature of what the Hempstock women were. Were they the Fates? Were they some re-arranged version of the Morrigan? Or something else entirely. Thankfully, Gaiman believes in letting the imaginations of his readers get carried away with these things long after the book is finished.

Which brings me to my last point. It's not very rare for me to finish a book, offer a sigh of satisfaction, and then go on to prepare dinner and live my life as normal. It's much rarer when I finish with a sigh, and sit for untold clicks of the clock, absorbing what I'd just read. Marveling in it. Exploring the possibilities of it in mind. Wondering what became of the characters after the book is closed. This book was most definitely one of those.

It's simply a magical tale that will stay with you for a long time afterwards...that is, if you enjoy stories of whimsy and magic.

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  • Started reading
  • 28 August, 2015: Finished reading
  • 28 August, 2015: Reviewed