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

5.0

This book was enthralling in a way I don't think I've ever experienced before. It truly read like a dream, like a nightmare you don't truly understand, but you know is happening even if it doesn't make sense. By the time I reached the end, I already had a good feeling how it was going to end, and even though I predicted the ending (somewhat), it was very satisfying and even peaceful, if bittersweet. Gaiman does a brilliant job parsing childhood memory - the grandness of some things, the incomprehension of others, the things children are scared of, and those that they are not scared of, which instead terrify adults. I need to spend some more time thinking about it, but I highly recommend this story. It's surprisingly short, yet packed full of beautiful imagery and magical prose.