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In Neil
Gaiman's latest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane,
the unnamed narrator decides to take a drive after presiding
over a funeral. Doing so creates an odd feeling of remembrance
that steers him, quite literally, to an old farm at the end
of the road and a pond that triggers memories of a childhood
he had long since forgotten.
When
the narrator was seven, he got a good look at his first dead
body. It was the opal miner who had rented a room in his home.
If that wasn't enough, the man's body was in his family's
car. After the discovery, a girl named Lettie Hempstock took
him to her home, where her mother and grandmother fed him
and cared for him while his father dealt with the grizzly
reality outside. Lettie was eleven. The boy never could've
imagined that his meeting with the Hempstocks that day would
lead to both his undoing and his salvation.
Neil
Gaiman has always been a favorite for many reasons. He's one
of the few authors who have made a name for himself in the
literary world both as a creative genius and one hell of an
audiobook narrator. With his usual gusto, Gaiman weaves an
intricate tale of magic, superstition, and human imperfection.
It's an addictive trip into a new (but very old) world that
every Gaiman fan should take. There is some language and one
or two adult scenes to watch out for, but, in my opinion,
they are very tastefully done and very brief.
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