The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

(read: August 23rd, 2022)

This is a difficult book to describe. It’s about childhood, memories, names, and stories – especially stories. A man returns to his childhood home and finds himself remembering an event from his childhood, something that has been buried and hidden inside him for a long time. 

It’s a return to childhood while still retaining a slight sense of adulthood. It’s being uncertain how the world works and therefore accepting the strange as commonplace. Why shouldn’t a pond also be an ocean? It’s knowing you’re at the mercy of every adult around you and they won’t believe your story about walking under an orange sky in a new world and the monster you saw and that followed you home. And now the monster is in your house, in the form of an implacable adult, and you’re a child, powerless to stop it.

I love the Hempstocks. I’ve always liked the triple goddess in stories, the trifecta of maiden-mother-crone. The Hempstocks have such a matter of fact attitude about the strange things to be found in the world. They provide a safe harbor amid the horror.

It’s kinda spooky! It’s pretty short! I still like it. I’m glad I’ve kept it on my shelf.