An Amazon Best Book of the Month, June 2013: Neil Gaiman’s intent was simple: to write a short story. What he ended up with instead was The Ocean at the of the Lane–his first adult novel since Anansi Boys came out in 2005, and a narrative so thoughtful and thrilling that it’s as difficult to stop reading as it was for Gaiman to stop writing. Forty years ago, our narrator, who was then a seven-year-old boy, unwittingly discovered a neighboring family’s supernatural secret. What happens next is an imaginative romp through otherwordly adventure that could only come from Gaiman’s magical mind. Childhood innocence is tested and transcended as we see what getting between ancient, mystic forces can cost, as well as what can be gained from the power of true friendship. The result is a captivating tale that is equal parts sweet, sad, and spooky. —Robin A. Rothman
“His prose is simple but poetic, his world strange but utterly believable – if he was South American we would call this magic realism rather than fantasy.” (The Times (London) on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“Poignant and heartbreaking, eloquent and frightening, impeccably rendered, it’s a fable that reminds us how our lives are shaped by childhood experiences, what we gain from them and the price we pay.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
“[W]orthy of a sleepless night . . . a fairy tale for adults that explores both innocence lost and the enthusiasm for seeing what’s past one’s proverbial fence . . . Gaiman is a master of creating worlds just a step to the left of our own.” (USA Today on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“Remarkable . . . wrenchingly, gorgeously elegiac. . . . [I]n The Ocean at the End of the Lane, [Gaiman] summons up childhood magic and adventure while acknowledging their irrevocable loss, and he stitches the elegiac contradictions together so tightly that you won’t see the seams.” (Star Tribune (Minneapolis) on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“[A] compelling tale for all ages . . . entirely absorbing and wholly moving.” (New York Daily News on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)“His prose is simple but poetic, his world strange but utterly believable – if he was South American we would call this magic realism rather than fantasy.” (The Times (London) on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“Poignant and heartbreaking, eloquent and frightening, impeccably rendered, it’s a fable that reminds us how our lives are shaped by childhood experiences, what we gain from them and the price we pay.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))
“[W]orthy of a sleepless night . . . a fairy tale for adults that explores both innocence lost and the enthusiasm for seeing what’s past one’s proverbial fence . . . Gaiman is a master of creating worlds just a step to the left of our own.” (USA Today on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“Remarkable . . . wrenchingly, gorgeously elegiac. . . . [I]n The Ocean at the End of the Lane, [Gaiman] summons up childhood magic and adventure while acknowledging their irrevocable loss, and he stitches the elegiac contradictions together so tightly that you won’t see the seams.” (Star Tribune (Minneapolis) on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
“[A] compelling tale for all ages . . . entirely absorbing and wholly moving.” (New York Daily News on THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE)
