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

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I have complicated feelings with this book, mainly because as I was reading it, I found it hard to understand what was happening and play it all out in my head. However, reading the conversation with Neil Gaiman that was in the end of my edition, allowed some things to make sense to me. It is a very personal book for Gaiman and I understood this a lot more when reading that part of the book. 

It did take me a while to get into the book but it did start to get interesting about half way through and I was intrigued to see how it would end. I think the fact that it was told from a child's perspective also made some experiences seem more real to me and did add depth to the book. I think it made me empathise with our MC more. 

One thing that I would disagree with a lot of reviews though, is that they said the writing was lyrical, and this didn't really ring true for me, personally. I think the writing was good at getting us into the mind of the main character, but I wouldn't say it was as lyrical as I had hoped. I also thought the plot was just a little strange in places and didn't flow well in parts, but that could just be personal preference also. 

I don't personally think this is Gaiman's best, but I still enjoyed many elements of the book all the same.
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