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A review by renettereads
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“Lettie shrugged. ‘Nobody looks like what they really are on the inside. You don’t. I don’t. People are much more complicated than that. It’s true of everybody.”
A man finds himself unexpectedly drawn back to his childhood home and the Hempstock farm at the end of the lane. Once there, he starts to recall a thrilling incident filled with magic and mystery.
This book was my surprising five-star read of 2022. I found it mysterious and ambiguous in the best way in that this entire boy’s world is being turned upside down, and he’s struggling to comprehend it all, and it only felt right that we felt the same reading this story. Though it’s dark, eerie and melancholy almost throughout, there’s a measure of cosiness that reminded me of something like The Witches. I loved the fairytale elements, and Gaiman’s writing, as always, is minimal but expertly done to deliver punchy prose that conjures up the most beautiful imagery.
It’s a book I can see myself going back to over and over again because, despite the fact that I didn’t grow up in England as a boy, there was such a sense of nostalgia. Being that age, scared of everything and struggling to separate adults from bad deeds. I loved the sense of survival in this book, and the Hempstock family absolutely stole my heart.
A man finds himself unexpectedly drawn back to his childhood home and the Hempstock farm at the end of the lane. Once there, he starts to recall a thrilling incident filled with magic and mystery.
This book was my surprising five-star read of 2022. I found it mysterious and ambiguous in the best way in that this entire boy’s world is being turned upside down, and he’s struggling to comprehend it all, and it only felt right that we felt the same reading this story. Though it’s dark, eerie and melancholy almost throughout, there’s a measure of cosiness that reminded me of something like The Witches. I loved the fairytale elements, and Gaiman’s writing, as always, is minimal but expertly done to deliver punchy prose that conjures up the most beautiful imagery.
It’s a book I can see myself going back to over and over again because, despite the fact that I didn’t grow up in England as a boy, there was such a sense of nostalgia. Being that age, scared of everything and struggling to separate adults from bad deeds. I loved the sense of survival in this book, and the Hempstock family absolutely stole my heart.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Suicide
Minor: Animal death