The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman ~ Book Review

* I was provided with a copy of this book directly from William Morrow Publishers. 

This is not a compensated post and all expressed opinions are strictly my own. *

This book arrived yesterday. I finished it today.

I've never read anything by Neil Gaiman before, not that I can remember, anyway, but I can go on record by saying that The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a pretty great introduction to his writing.

First things first, as is already obvious, it was a really quick and easy read.

Our narrator and main character actually has no name, so I can't quite introduce him to you. He starts off as a man who travels home to recognize a recent loss and finds himself winding up where he's always gone when he needed to. At the "ocean" at the end of the lane. (No heavy title-meaning-searching in this one!)

Although we meet him as a man we stay with him throughout these 170-something pages as a child. A child with an active imagination. A child who keeps his nose in a book more often than not. A child who has these unbelievable experiences? Perhaps.

I'm not one for paranormal stories, so as I got into this book I had my reservations. But I am a big fan of Sarah Addison Allen, who writes with a mystical sense of prose, and I was anticipating that maybe this book would take a similar tone. And it did.

The female characters that make up the remaining primary roles in this story are tremendous. And powerful. And maybe even a little other-worldly. Or something like that. The young girl is intense and spunky, and strong. The women, wise and talented. This whole family is full of intriguing characteristics that make both, the reader and our narrator want to know more.

I definitely recommend The Ocean at the End of the Lane as a summer read. While the overall weight of the story carries more than your typical light-hearted beach read, the book's overall tone and low number of pages make it easy for your subway commute, your upcoming flight or to toss in your bag for your next trip to the pool or beach. And if you're more of an ereader type, you can find a digital copy over on Amazon.

So, tell me, have you ever read anything by this author before? And if so, what did you think?

* I was provided with a copy of this book directly from William Morrow Publishers. 

This is not a compensated post and all expressed opinions are strictly my own. 

There are affiliate links scattered throughout this post. *

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