The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I began to read the prologue of this book, I thought to myself: “Well, this is a surprise coming from Neil Gaiman. The story seems “normal”.” I have never been so wrong. But then again, why would I think that? This is Neil Gaiman’s book that I’m reading. I should expect something unique and original.

This book is about a man who came back to his hometown and to the place called the “Ocean”. There, he recalled back what happened years ago when he was a child – a story that an adult would never have believed; a story where dark creatures of another world escaped into ours and tried to destroy everything a child ever knew, including himself.

I just finished this book like 5 minutes ago and I’m still speechless as to how I want to describe the experience of reading it. You know when a child tells you a story and you brush it off as part of his imagination? I feel like it is what’s happening here. There are three other characters who opened this other world for him but later took it away and replaced it with another memory, which made the character questioned whether what he thought he saw was ever real or was it just his warped imagination. And I actually felt the same way: Is it just a child’s imagination? Is it real?

Neil Gaiman is a genius when it comes to writing an original fantasy world and he has, once again, successfully did it with “The Ocean At The End Of The Lane”. It’s an easier read than “American Gods”, I have to say. I love that the author also nailed a child’s thoughts and words because 90% of the book was through the viewpoint of a seven-year-old.

I liked it. Not as much as “Anansi Boys”, which is still my favourite Neil Gaiman’s book ever. But I still enjoy it very much.

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