I find it very difficult to talk about books I really loved because all I want to do is give you all copies and make you read it yourselves. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was one of those books - read it now, you won't regret it.
I love Neil Gaiman. I cannot express enough how much I love him. He is, for me, a perfect writer - he is smart, eloquent, and fantastically talented. He writes books that feel like they were meant for me, that feel like home to me. It seems to be really difficult to find books that have fantasy or science fiction elements without feeling like genre pieces or YA (You either get Twilight or Game of Thrones) - not to discredit those, but that's not always what I want. I like literary fiction that is still fantastical - and Neil is able to hit that mark for me every time. His books have become cherished favourites. Stardust was my first, and to me, as a lover of fairy tales and magic, Stardust is a perfect story. American Gods is perhaps his most well known story, which is on the opposite end of the spectrum - its gritty, bloody, dirty, and an epic story.
Ocean at the End of the Lane is more on the Stardust end of the spectrum - it reads like a fairy tale and sits gently on the fence between children's literature and adult literature (there's a little bit of sex in it, just a hint); it feels like a fairy tale but is a sophisticated, prosiac read that leaves you with a massive book hangover - you know, that feeling you get after you finish a book and are still existing in it's world? It doesn't happen every time, but it definitely felt it with The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Without giving any spoilers away, I can tell you it's told from the perspective of a grown man remembering his childhood - a childhood that just so happened to be touched by a magical new friend and a terrifying nanny. It's a nightmare we all know so well, where the adults are terrifying and controlling, and they don't realize the evil around them. The children in this story hold the power, and it's a reaffirmation of the power of imagination and strength in friendship.
I really thought this one from Neil was so beautiful, and I want everyone to have a copy in their library. Go. Go get it. Go sink into a fairy tale.
