Being a writer I love to read.
Stephen Kind said it best, “You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”
One of my favorite writer's is Neil Gaiman. If you have never read any of his work, well, you're missing out. Gaiman write across every level of reading and in 2009 received the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book
It has been a while since we got an adult book from Mr. Gaiman, and it was worth the wait.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane revolves around a middle aged man, visiting his hometown for a funeral, recalling a time from when he is seven years old. The memories flood back as he sits reminiscing at the edge of a small pond on the farm of his child hood friend Lettie Hempstock. The memories begin innocent enough, of the man as a quiet boy who preferred to spend his time reading by himself, but turn much darker and sinister as the boy is introduced to death by an Opal Miner who is boarding with his family in Sussex England. This leads to the boy meeting Lettie Hemptsock, and learning that she is not simply a little girl growing up on a farm down the lane.
Being a Neil Gaiman fan, my expectations for this book were high. And for me this is not his best work or my favorite. This is a shorter work, and is written in first person which is not the norm for Gaiman. Writing in first person gives the author the ability to go deeper into the main character's thoughts and fears but for most of this novel we are in the head of a seven year old child, and even though it's a shorter novel, it was a bit too much time spent in the head of the boy. But I enjoyed this book and the end is what truly matters, when we get to find out the impact of the events of the story on the man and it makes you look deep within yourself chasing the emotions it invokes.
If you find yourself wandering around RJ Julia or browsing the big two web retailers for a summer reading book, something quick but with a darker side, check out The Ocean at the End of the Lane. You will enjoy the time spent in Neil Gaiman's latest fantasy. And definitely track down the rest of his novels. He is an author worth your time.
