A review by notactuallyharry
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I remembered thinking this book was pretty good when I first read it, but on a re-read it's actually pretty mediocre. Because the first-person protagonist is a child none of the other characters have any clear motivations and the text is full of so many bland statements of "I was afraid" and "I was hungry" that the overall effect is nothing remotely approaching elegant or interesting. The books overall theme never seems to go beyond "wow isn't it true that adults and kids are so different and adults don't understand kids and adults seem really strange to kids" which is barely an interesting idea at the start, and definitely isn't at the end.

I'm also growing increasingly frustrated by "all powerful beings choose to be old English women living in domestic bliss as though it's still the Good Old Days" as a narrative choice.