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

adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A confidently strange, fantastical, and nostalgic story about a man who revisits his hometown during a funeral and recalls the events that occurred there 40 years ago. The majority of the book is spent reliving this childhood memory (where the events read more like a fairytale, with strange twists and turns seen through the uniquely whimsical and accepting eyes of a child ).  However, towards the end of the book
we come back around to the narrator in the present day, where it is revealed just how much of this childhood magic has faded to time, how much of his perspective on the world has shifted.
 
All in all, I love this book for its masterful balance of fairytale whimsy, and thoughtful meditation on memories and growing up. 

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