Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Neil Gaiman is an author whose works I buy without question. One time I was given a $250 gift card to Barnes & Noble (best day ever) and I used it to beef up my collections of Gaiman, Bradbury and Pratchett. I bought this book as a signed first edition, pre-ordering it months ahead of publication just knowing it was going to be beautiful. And it was.

A lot of the hyped books don't really meet my expectations, and I'm often left disappointed. In this case, The Ocean at the End of the Lane was perfectly marketed, and deserves every award and accolade it has won this year, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy (and the book which received the most votes overall).

The synopsis on Goodreads pretty much says what the book is about, but it doesn't give you the story. And it's a story only Neil Gaiman could have written. It's mystical and child-like, but through the eyes of an adult who doesn't really know what he's remembering. It's simple and lyrical and wonderfully rich in imagery. The storytelling is masterful. Suffice to say, I loved every moment of it.

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