The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman is one of those authors that so many people talk about, particularly in the book blog community. Somehow, though, I had never read one of his books. Several show up On Reserve, but none had actually made it into my hands until this little one.

When I spotted a Gaiman novel on TLC Book Tours' list for this summer, I responded as quickly as I could. I knew I wanted to be on this tour.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells a fantastical tale of a young boy, who remains unnamed, and his magical friend Lottie. Gaiman paints a world that can only exist through a child's eyes. Magic and imagination are seamlessly intertwined, to the point where you really don't know what is real and what isn't.

Neil Gaiman is clearly an incredible storyteller. He wove things in that I didn't even notice until chapters later or even the end of the book. For instance: wormhole...so clever!

He also has a way with words that seems so rare these days. He is insightful and whimsical, with an understanding of a child's perspective. To prove my point, here are a few of my favorite lines from the book:

• "Adult stories never made sense, and they were so slow to start...Why didn't adults want to read about Narnia, about secret islands and smugglers and dangerous fairies?"
• "Adults follow paths. Children explore."
• "When adults fight children, adults always win."

I really enjoyed the book. I will definitely be reading more of Neil Gaiman's work in the future. My only question - what actually happened?! The intertwining of a child's perspective, magic, and reality left me with so many questions. Not in an annoying way, but in a curiosity sparked way. I want to know how much of the story really happened to this boy and what was just his psychological projections as he attempted to deal with tough life circumstances. I would love to hear your thoughts, so get the book, read it, and come back here to chat!

Pages: 181

Date Completed: April 28, 2014

*To read others' thoughts on this book, check out the full tour schedule.*