The Ocean at the End of the Lane
By: Neil Gaiman
Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
Genre: Fantasy
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about? A man returns to the town where he grew up in England. He begins to remember his childhood friend, Lettie Hempstock, a mysterious girl who lived on a farm at the end of the lane. Thinking about her triggers memories of strange encounters, magical beings, and horrifying events. Everything comes flooding back to him, as if he’s repressed what really happened when he was seven years old for a long time.
My Review: At first, this book seemed very realistic. A man returns home to attend a funeral. Then, as he begins to recall events from his childhood, things start to take a weird turn into the fantastical. After becoming friends with the neighbor girl, Lettie, the boy accidently releases an evil being into the world. After reading this novella, I read a little background about it. The boy was based on Gaiman’s own childhood. Gaiman said that he would frequently imagine fantastical things happening in the real world, just as they do in this novella. He created the Hempstock family when he was nine years old and they appear in other works of his fiction. I really enjoyed this immersive and sometimes creepy fantasy standalone.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Creepy, Scary, Magical
Give This a Try if You Like…Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
