The Ocean at the End of the Lane
I’ll adThis was a book I read 5 years ago, and given that my daughter is now of the appropriate age, we started listening to this book together.
At the time, I thought the book was very very good and 5 years later, I think the book is even more amazing. The story still hasn’t changed, but listening to it with a daughter has made the experience much more.
As books goes, this one is reatively short, but is length made it perfect for our thrice weekly 1 hour commute (30 minutes to the school, 30 minutes back) to finish in 4 weeks.
The story is told from the POV of the protagonist, who as a middle aged man, finds himself back at his childhood home, visiting a home of his friends from that period of time. His home is long gone, but this friend’s home is still there at the end of the lane, wherein sits a pond, whom his friend, now in Australia had named “her ocean”.
This being a Neil Gaiman book, you know, it cannot simply as what it states. There is magic, there is mythology, there are alien lands, and a grand old adventure that are in parts magical, in parts inspirational, and in parts scary. That is after all, what is required to make a story worth telling and worth remembering!
The characters of the family who live at the end of the lane are extremely memorable and while you’d think you know how the story goes once you meet them, you will be made wrong pretty quickly. There’s a bit of discomfiting scenes within the story, so I really recommend you don’t listen to this story until your child hits 12, but this is one of those perfect stories to listen to during spooky season.
Neil Gaiman is a master orator and himself narrating the book is magical in the extreme.
How did my daughter like it? “its ok” which is high praise coming from her. The better gauge other than her short words is that she listened to every word during our trip and even asked about clarifications on this and that topic that she’s not familiar with. and that’s all the endorsement a parent ever need to hear. =)
Highly recommended.