Thank goodness for good books! This month's Curious Endeavourance is like a breath of fresh air! While it wasn't a novel that I kept thinking "This is brilliant" as I read each word, the moment I had reached the final period I felt like my whole being had just been rebooted. I was in a strange emotional state, wanting to cry because it beautiful, because it was sad, and because it was over, and yet overcome with a sense of joy, a sense of "I can take this world on!", a sense of purpose, and as I discovered throughout the rest of my day, inspiration. Apparently this was the book I needed to read at this very point in time. Despite my clear emotional connection (See? That which provokes emotion = art!), I had a long debate with myself (and others) as to whether or not I was going to give it 4 or 5 stars. You see, I reserve my 5 stars for books that I can't wait to read again, and I didn't, and still do not yet, feel the necessity to read this again very soon. Yet, thinking on other books that I've enjoyed and given 4's to, I know that The Ocean at the End of the Lane has stuck to me stronger than that. Like the book burrowed its own little worm through my finger-tips and into my heart as I flipped the pages. I finally concluded that it deserved the 5 stars, because even though I don't particularly feel the need to jump right back into its pages, I feel comfort in knowing that it will be there on my bookshelf, just in case I'm ever in need of it again one day, like my own personal shelf-dwelling Hempstocks that I can come crying to when the world stops making sense. This book I recommend, especially on bad day when the evils of your world seem as real to you as fleas, hunger birds, and parents you couldn't possibly trust again... It's not a happy ending, but at least you know that it's okay to not feel grown-up on the inside, at least for today.
My Review on GoodReads
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil GaimanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautiful poetic narrative that captures the world of a seven-year-old boy living in a big world, even though his house is in a small community filled with farm land and meadows, experiencing the harsh reality of "it's not fair" from having a sister, the cruel pang of a father's shouting that stings worse than beatings, and the safe house of the Old Grandmother who always knows how to make things better even when it seems like the world could never be a happy place again. The child's acceptance of a magical realm where good is ever-powerful, and where evil beings hit right at the core of you, ripping you from your family, digging into your heart, and tears at you with that inescapable sensation that "Yes, it is all your fault!", and yet, how the magic and the horrors of childhood get hazy, how they fade and you re-understand things from the adult world as you grow-up, not that it makes your adult memories any more true.
It is an inspiring tale, and the wonderful thing about Neil Gaiman is that when he is the most immersed in the realm of fantasy, he is at the heart of it, bringing to his audience that which is most real, not just frightening magical monsters and garden-grown cats, but what it means to be faced with the ups and downs of our journey through life. There were a number of wonderful moments, but if there is one thought that I know I will carry with me until the end of my days, it is this: There are no real grown-ups, not on the inside. Amazing how this little novel-that-was-not-supposed-to-be about a seven-year-old boy in rural England who faces monsters from another world has made my world that much clearer to me. Thank you, Mr. Gaiman. This was indeed a happy accident!
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