[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: William Morrow
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, eBook, Kindle, Audio Book, Audible
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]
The best way to describe Neil Gaiman’s latest novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is to call it a young adult novel for adults. That is to say, it contains adult content that isn’t necessarily appropriate for kids, but it also features the same mysterious sense of wonder and curiosity that imbues his work for children, such as Coraline and The Graveyard Book.
“Just keep holding my hand. Don’t let go. Whatever happens, don’t let go.”
There’s a lot to appreciate in this novel: the Hempstocks are absolutely mind-bending and fantastically interesting characters that make this book difficult to put down, and Ursula Monkton is by far the most terrifying creature I have encountered in a book in a while. Like most of Gaiman’s villains, she is both sympathetic and terrifying all at once. There is also a lot to love about the language of The Ocean at the End of the Lane and about the way Mr. Gaiman shapes the story. His images are always fresh and startling and he introduces concepts – such as an ocean that fits inside of a bucket – which are surprising and enthralling. This was an amazingly fun read, sure to be enjoyed by all Neil Gaiman fans and to win him new readers as well.
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