The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

[PluviophileReader]

Gaiman, we meet again! It has been just over two years since I read anything by this fantastic author so I was quite happy when I discovered it.

This book is dark and has the capabilities of making your skin crawl, it is however also whimsical. Just like childhood. There is only one other person that I can think of that writes about childhood this well and that’s Roald Dahl. Both Gaiman and Dahl seem to be able to recall so well what it’s like to be a child, including the dark side of it. Growing up is scary and it’s hard but it’s also wonderful. While Dahl is no longer with us, I’m thankful that there are authors like Gaiman around that can still make us feel like children.

After returning to his childhood home after attending a funeral, the unnamed protagonist recalls the time he use to spend with his neighbour and childhood friend, Lettie Hempstock. He ventures over to his old neighbours and finds Lettie’s mother and recalls that Lettie has gone away to “Australia”. The protagonist initially remembers very little of his childhood but recalls a pond which Lettie used to say was her ocean and decides to venture down there to recollect some childhood memories. Sitting by the “pond” the man begins to remembers , it started with him losing his room as a boy so that his parents could let it out for some additional income. The opal miner had stayed with them, but after losing all the money that his friends and family gave him to gambling, he stole the family car and committing suicide in it. This death causes something unnatural to be released in to the world. While out with his father to retrieve the car, is when he meets Lettie. He is taken back to her home and introduced to her mother and grandmother.

The unnatural spirit that was released when the opal miner died believes that money will make people happy but it’s leaving money for people in very horrible ways. When the narrator wakes up choking on a coin, he seeks help from Lettie. The boy quickly comes to realize that there is something very special about the Hempstock women and when he asks about their exact age they never give him a concise answer. The women decide that the spirit must be dealt with and brought back to its own world. Against her mother and grandmother’s discretion, Lettie convinces them to let her bring the young protagonist along with her to banish the spirit. Lettie tells the boy that he must not touch ANYTHING while he is in the spirit world and to hold her hand the entire time. The boy fails at this only once while in the surreal spirit world.

After the spirit has been banished, the boy returns home from his adventure believing that everything has returned to normal. He finds however, that he has a gaping black hole in the bottom of his foot in which he can feel something moving around. He pulls out a worm from the hole in his foot and puts it down a drain, though he didn’t get all of it. The boy deals with the incident the way a curious child would, but as a reader this scene is has some serious gross factors and leaves you reeling!

The morning after removing the worm, the boy’s parent’s introduce him to Ursula, their new nanny. Everyone seems to love Ursula, except for the boy. He knows something is not quite right with her. She won over his sister with treats and adoration and his father with too much adoration (complete with some scenes no young boy should ever have to witness his parent doing) all while his mother becomes less present in the home and this is when is nightmare starts to begin…

Sounds unnerving and awesome right?! It really is. Gaiman never lets you down. Gaiman, like in many of his other novels, likes to have mythological connections to his stories because in a way, it keeps them all connected. For example, Lettie, her mother, and her grandmother sound like the triple goddess of mythology: the maiden, the mother and the crone. Equally, Ursula seems to represent the whore. The whole novel seems to revolve around similar dichotomies, such as childhood and adulthood as well as what we perceive as real and what we imagine.

Another interesting item that’s worth noting, just off some quick research, apparently some of the incidents in the book are in relation to some experiences that Gaiman had as a child, for example Gaiman’s father’s car was actually stolen and the thief did commit suicide in it.

This novel is less than 200 pages so it makes for nice quick read and I think you’ll find yourself being properly creeped out and just in time for Halloween. You may even find yourself recollecting on your own wacky childhood adventures. A must-read for any adult that still has a child-like spirit.

[Anacoana]

I'm shuddering just from hearing about the worm, but I will absolutely read this. He's a great writer, and I thoroughly agree that anything written by Neil Gaiman is fantastic.

[gali]

This book is on my reading list. Sounds an intriguing book.

[rssllue]

It does sound quite interesting! Neil Gaiman strikes again!

[JRosedale10]

OH my goodness, i read this book in about two hours and am utterly in love!! It reminded me a bit of A Wrinkle in Time, and for that alone i adored it. Add to that Gaiman's incredible talent and style and i was in raptures for the little time it took me to read it. Then i went right back to the beginning and began all over again! Twice! I know only some people can bear to read the same books over again (i am clearly one of these people) but truly, this book had so much in it that once just didn't seem like enough to really appreciate it for all the minute and delicious details.

[Lisalovecraft]

I could not stop reading this book!!! It was breath-taking, and had some moments where I felt truly unsettled. His writing is epic.

[lee_yoong_shin]

I like this book. Although I find myself dozing a little at most of Lettie Hempstock's scenes, the worm scene, the Ursula scenes and his father's attempt to drown him kept me awake.

Since Gaiman originally intended it to be a novella, I find the story lacking a little in plot but overall, I think it is a good read.

[Samyann]

Audiobook. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is written and narrated by Neil Gaiman. The unabridged audiobook is a short one, just over 5.5 hours of listening. The book was released several years ago, ergo there are thousands of reviews. It is, after all, a Neil Gaiman novel. I purchased as an Audible Daily Deal because … well, it is, after all, a Neil Gaiman novel.

Not much I can add to the mix, so some brief opinions. I liked this book. It is typical of Gaiman’s excellent writing – lyrical, poetic in places. Gaiman also simply tells a story – not paying much attention to current publisher conventions or mantras regarding the use of particular parts of speech – like adverbs. He writes from the heart, says what he wants to say … and readers are sucked in. I particularly liked the fact that Neil Gaiman is the narrator. The story is presented in the way he intended, no guessing regarding the reading or inflections.

This is a coming age, fable, fairy tale. But also a perspective of friendship, loyalty … the ability of a child to interpret and wonder – and the distant view of an adult reminiscing. I’m sure young adults would like, but The Ocean is also something a seasoned writer or adult reader would enjoy.

What I didn’t like? Nothing that I can think of…..

Like all Gaiman books, be prepared to let your imagination stretch and enjoy the ride.

[Rachel1019]

This is a quick read that I picked up after attending a Neil Gaiman event where he read some excerpts and signed some books. This was the first book of his that I had ever read and it intrigued me so much that it led me to check out some more of his books. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. This novel while being full of intrigue is also full of poetic narrative. The way that he writes lends to the imagination so much. The development of characters comes about in such a seamless way that it seems as though we always should have known them. This book allows the imagination to wonder about our own lives. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to spend the few hours that is required to read this. It will be well worth your time.

[Bill]

My book club read this one not too long ago. One of Gaiman's best in my opinion.

[Mika83]

I agree, definitely one of his best, if not *the* best so far. I loved this book.

[Emma-Louise]

I didn't think much of this book. It was my first Neol Gaiman novel but I felt it could have been amazing. It felt rushed and without proper ending.

[Er Perrehnne]

This book was creepy and whimsical. It did feel rushed, as though an idea that could have spanned many adventures was put into one short book.

[Sajid2012]

I'm hooked! I have to read this book now! Thanks for the post!

[Gravy]

I just finished this, and I cannot find the words for how much I enjoyed it.
I was expecting a different ending, was all set up for it, really thought I knew where it was going (and honestly would've been okay with it). But the actual ending is so much more amazing! And fitting.

Definitely going to read more from Gaiman!