“A book club in the kitchen.”

Beware this review contains spoilers.

Not being one to follow the crowd I fell in love with Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane long before it was named 2013’s book of the year.  In summary it is a short, poignant book that explores myth, memory and identity through the experiences of a seven-year old boy.  These experiences are recalled by his adult self on returning to his childhood home and the area he grew up in.

Like Coraline and The Graveyard Book, the novel has a young central character, a resourceful and determined child who is left to fend for them-self in a world transfigured by danger and terror.  However it is unique in the fact that it is the first novel by Neil Gaiman to include details from his own life. Continue reading →