The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Blurb

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac – as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly’s wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark – from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers b THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE is a fable that reshapes modern fantasy: moving, terrifying and elegiac – as pure as a dream, as delicate as a butterfly’s wing, as dangerous as a knife in the dark – from storytelling genius Neil Gaiman.

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond this world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed – within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it.

His only defence is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is an ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

My Review

A guy from my book group recommended this. It’s the first Neil Gaiman I’ve read, so I had no idea what to expect.

I was instantly drawn into the story of a man revisiting his past and unlocking hidden/repressed memories. I love mysteries and this definitely has that element, I just had to keep reading to find out what happened all those years ago.

I did spend half the time wondering how reliable the 7-year-old narrator would turn out to be, and if I should take the story at face value or look for the deeper meaning behind the tale. Instead, my advice is to sit back and read this for what it is – a great fairy tale.

The writing is excellent. There’s a strangeness to the story and I was completely absorbed by it.

It’s a short novel, but I’d say it’s the perfect length.

I rate it 5 stars and recommend to those who enjoy modern fantasy and fairy tales.