Review + Response: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

I finally got around to reading The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman and what a fantastic book it is! It's such an interesting fantasy tale. Sometimes writers can find it hard to write something within the fantasy genre that is both unique and interesting. Gaiman, as ever, has managed to pull it off. Gaiman has created quite a surreal yet strangely rooted tale.

The story follows an unnamed protagonist as he returns to the town he lived in during childhood to attend the funeral of his late father. Whilst there he begins to reminisce and remember certain fantastic events from his past. The books deals with themes like growing up, the childhood/adulthood divide, the search for courage and the battle to find your own identity. I was utterly captivated by the Hempstock family. I'm craving another book that explores them and their lives and history in greater detail. These are powerful, wise female characters who really shape the story. This book was peculiar yet pleasurable as it created a sense of wonder via some fairly surreal settings and imagery.