The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

from goodreads

3 stars

I have never read this author before. To be honest I had never heard about this author before until this book came out. It's weird how some authors you love yet no one else has heard of them and vice versa. What cosmic force throws certain authors in our paths? It's weird. Anyways, a big thank you goes out to my husband's aunt who lent me her copy. I probably would still have been on the library's hold list if it wasn't for her.

Synopsis

A man goes back to his hometown for a funeral. After the funeral he drives around to places of his childhood. He drives to the farm at the end of the lane where the Hempstock family live. There he encounters memories of his childhood, and a time when darkness was unleashed there.

My Thoughts

I really like the way Gaiman writes. His words are very rich and delightful. I loved how he described things and he really was able to paint a picture with them. He probably used more words then he need to in order to tell the story but, I did not find it wordy. There is a fine balance between beautiful description and boring wordiness. Gaiman is on the right side of the balance.

As for the story, I didn't care for it all that much. There were some interesting bits, but on the whole it did not leave me breathlessly in awe. I am sure there are some good discussion points for the book but, if there are they are over my head. To me it was just a meh story. I did start to like the story more once I realized it was fantasy and not just general fiction. When I first heard about the book and when I first started reading it I didn't know what genre it was. I thought it was normal fiction and was like what the heck is going on? Is this supposed to be super creepy or something. Then I found out it was fantasy and I was like, oh...I get it now... it is not scary or creepy, it is supposed to be fanciful. Got it!

I wish I knew more about the Hempstock women and their farm. Was it always there? Could people always get to their house or did their house appear only to those whom they wanted to come and visit? Was it brigadoonish? Also, whose funeral was this man going to? Was it one of his parents?

Although the story itself did nothing for me, I loved the writing and so I will give him another try at some point.