The Ocean at the End of the Lane

"I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy."

-Neil Gaiman

No one quite knows how to weave a tale like Neil Gaiman. He can take you on a wild rollercoaster ride in every novel he writes and keep you guessing until the end. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is the second Gaiman book I've read this summer and I devoured it in such a short time. It was the perfect read while camping this summer. What I like about his books is the synopsis never really gives you even a hint as to what type of adventure you'll be heading into and so it makes the book all the more suspenseful and entrancing because you truly can't guess what will happen next. This book wasn't at all what I thought it was. 

I wasn't much for science fiction util quite recently and this book is very much that. The hazy memories of a middle aged man, looking back to his childhood life on a small country lane in a small English town felt perfect for a hot summer day read. But it got very real very fast. Maybe it was because he was reflecting on his life as a seven year old boy, but for some reason I started to get the sense this was a children's/YA novel, until little things were brought to light like the dad having an affair, an opal minor that committed suicide, and a terrifying babysitter that scared even me. Definitley remembered I wasn't reading a children's novel then. 

There were so many things I liked about this book and one of those things was the bravery of children. As a seven-year old who is ignored by his family, my heart shattered for him. He escaped into books because they seemed to him to be the only reliable things in his life. That was something that hit close to home for me, especially as a kid. When life went sideways and I had tough days at school and with friends, books were my escape as well. But even with the tough and horrific things happening in his life he found ways to deal with them. He dug a living worm out of his foot and flushed it with no fear, he took things into his own hands when his parents didn't believe him. He did what he had to to survive and even though he was afraid he did it anyway. Childhood bravery at it's finest.

This book also focused a lot on the ignorance of adults and the perceptiveness of children. This boys father was one of the most oblivious men I've ever had the displeasure of reading about. His mother was never around to realise the abuse her son was going through. Adults chalked up his fear to weakness and looked the other way. And later as an adult, he himself chalked up his past memories to some fantasy. But as a child he knew it was all real. We don't have our ignorance glasses on as children, but the older we get, the more a part of us they become.

I really enjoyed the adventure I got to take while reading this book, it reminded me of stories I read as a younger kid but still with enough adult suspense to keep me hooked until the last page. I don't have anything bad to say about this one. If you like Neil Gaiman but haven't read this one yet, it's definitely worth the read. And it's short so it will only take a day to get through. You won't want to put it down.

This book was a 5/5 for me. I loved it and if I didn't have such a big TBR list ahead of me I'd read it again in a heartbeat.