Book notes: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis:

“Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn’t thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she’d claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie – magical, comforting, wise beyond her years – promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly’s wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.” -Audible

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Opening thoughts:

I think I’m on a Neil Gaiman trend as I’m really enjoying his books and it’s an easy decision to pick up. Not really sure what this is about but I’m expecting it to be good or at least enjoyable to listen to.

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Key notes:

Epigraph

Prologue

Chapter 1

• His cat was run over but also replaced. But his parents couldn’t understand why he was upset since the damage was rectified

Chapter 2

• Their car had been abandoned and stolen, so he and his dad went to retrieve it with the police. They then discovered a dead body in the backseat

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

• Ursula was their new housekeeper and was very strict. He didn’t like her and knew she was something not human that followed in and came through his body somehow
• When he refused to eat Ursula’s food, he called her a flea, locked himself in the bathroom, and refused to apologize
• His dad eventually broke down the door and forcibly dunked him into the bathtub but stopped when his son struggled and managed to pull him down with him

Chapter 8

• He snuck out of his room but saw his father kissing Ursula and having an affair, which terrified the boy more because it meant the shattering of his family unit
• He ran away but Ursula chased him down
  • Thankfully he managed to make it to Lettie Hempstock’s property and she protected him

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

• He and Lettie found Ursula in his old room. Ursula threatened them but it was an empty threat until she ran away

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

• He stayed inside the fairy circle in the grass because Lettie said it would protect him from whatever wanted to hurt him 
• They tried to trick him into leaving the circle, but he stayed strong and didn’t

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

• The hunger birds threatened to eat/devour the world if Lettie didn’t give up the boy. But the boy irritatingly ended up letting go of Lettie’s hand and ran towards them because he wanted to save the world
• Lettie sacrificed herself for him, and then Granny Hempstock came to save them

Chapter 15

• They put Lettie into the ocean and said she wasn’t dead, but unsure when the ocean would return her to them, and how different she would be
• He adopted a cat who wandered into his life and named her Ocean

Epilogue

• He returned to the Hempstock farm and they told him how he’d been there a few times before already but couldn’t remember
• Also, Lettie called him there because she wanted to see him and how he was doing

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Closing thoughts:

This book was definitely not one of my favorite Neil Gaiman books. It would probably be in the bottom half of the books I’ve read from him. Even though it’s generally a cute children’s story, I didn’t really resonate with the characters or the story. For the protagonist, he didn’t really have any redeeming qualities, which is what I personally look for in a good main character. He was just a kid who had a fantastical experience with a flea thing invading his home, then coming across a bunch of magical witch creatures, and then through entirely his own fault, one of them died because she sacrificed herself for him. And then the story just ends after they deal with the initiating antagonist.

Overall, I was left feeling “what was the point?” after finishing the story. I definitely won’t be reading this again, and it actually discourages me from picking up any more Neil Gaiman books unless it’s highly recommended, critically acclaimed, and has a high number and average rating.

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One Takeaway / Putting into practice:

Don’t do stupid things and listen to instructions when you’re given clear instructions by a trusted source.

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Nutshell:

The narrator goes on a fantasy adventure with a magical girl named Lettie to get rid of an evil spirit creature that invaded his home.

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Similar books:

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
• The Sandman by Neil Gaiman
• We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
• Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer

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Rating:

2.5/5

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