So here is my deal with Neil Gaiman. Sometime around 2001-2002 I picked up
American Gods, read about half of it, and never finished it. Last year I tried to read
The Graveyard Book. Again, I read about half and never finished it. I'm also about halfway into Volume 1 of the Sandman series.
So when I tried to listen to
The Ocean at the End of the Lane on audio - twice - unsuccessfully, I thought...
MY GOD.
Enough of this!
I got myself a print copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and by God, I read the damn thing. The Whole Thing.
Do I actually have any issues with Neil Gaiman? Not that I'm aware of.
I just have issues.
It turns out The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a really great read. I'm not going to call myself a Gaiman fan until I've read more books than I've DNF'ed, but once I successfully forced myself to read Ocean, I was sad to see it end.
I love truly imaginative reads. It seems that every time I fall in love with an imaginative book, someone compares it to Gaiman. I discovered some of why that is while reading Ocean.
Someone mentioned to me they were worried about the main character being so young. The young age of the character is part of the whole wonder that is The Ocean at the End of the Lane. If you are worried about youth in peril, don't be. When Ocean starts out, the main character is an adult visiting his childhood home for a funeral. He stops at the titular ocean and this is where he recalls the events of the story. You know he will be OK.
The MC/narrator's story is, indeed, imaginative and dark, and a story I very much enjoyed, but my heart lies in the ending of Ocean where the narrator is once again a grown man. There is a feeling of nostalgia that runs through The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and the ending was able to capture that for me and give it momentum to stay with me long after finishing the last page.
Eventually I need to go back to the beginning of my Neil Gaiman circle and tackle American Gods. It appears on so many "best" lists and it has won so many awards. It took three times for me to read Ocean, and it turned out to be a book I enjoyed very much.
Have you ever experienced something like this with a particular author? I just read two of Gaiman's picture books in an effort to restore some balance and even out the Neil Gaiman score a bit. It may be that Gaiman isn't for me, but I've proved to myself that sometimes something as simple as your mood or as complicated as your preconceived notions can really effect what you are reading.
As far as The Ocean at the End of the Lane goes, I think it's a great read, and I'd be happy to hear you are reading it, too.
8/10: Great Read
